Arthur Lee (musician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arthur Lee
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Lee in 1977
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Arthur Porter Taylor |
| Born | March 7, 1945 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | August 3, 2006 (aged 61) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1963–2006 |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | Love |
Arthur Taylor Lee (born Arthur Porter Taylor; March 7, 1945 – August 3, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. He became famous as the leader of the Los Angeles rock band Love. Their 1967 album Forever Changes is very well-known. It was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame and the National Recording Registry.
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Arthur Lee's Early Life and Music
Lee was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 7, 1945. His mother, Agnes, was a teacher, and his father, Chester Taylor, was a jazz musician. Arthur was an only child and was called "Po" by his family. He loved music from a very young age. He would sing along to blues artists like Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters on the radio. When he was four, he even performed a small poem at a church.
In the early 1950s, his parents separated. Arthur only remembered seeing his father a few times. In 1952, Arthur and his mother moved to Los Angeles permanently. His mother later married Clinton Lee, and Arthur was officially adopted by him in 1960, taking his last name. This allowed his mother to continue teaching, and they bought a new home in Los Angeles. His friend Johnny Echols, who later became the lead guitarist for Love, lived in the same area.
Arthur went to Sixth Avenue Elementary School. He was good at sports but struggled a bit with schoolwork. He was known as a tough kid but was also interested in music, reading, and animals. At Mount Vernon Junior High, music became his main focus, even more than sports.
Arthur's first instrument was the accordion. He learned to read music and had a natural talent for it. Even without formal training, he could copy musicians from records and create his own songs. He later got an organ and a harmonica. After graduating from Susan Miller Dorsey High School, Arthur decided to pursue music instead of going to college for sports. He was inspired to form a band after seeing Johnny Echols perform.
Arthur Lee's Music Career
Before the Band Love
Arthur Lee's first known recording was in 1963 with his band, The LAGs. This group played instrumental music, like Booker T & The MG's. It included Johnny Echols on guitar and Lee on organ.
As a songwriter, Lee wrote surf songs like "White Caps." His song "My Diary" was almost a hit. It was recorded by R&B singer Rosa Lee Brooks and featured Jimi Hendrix on electric guitar. Lee said he was looking for a guitarist with a certain feel, and Hendrix was suggested.
Lee also wrote songs for other artists, like "I've Been Tryin'" for Little Ray. He recorded "Luci Baines" with his band, The American Four. These early recordings are quite rare.
Forming the Band Love
When Arthur Lee first heard the band The Byrds, he felt like his own music, which had a similar folk-rock sound, was on the right track. In 1965, his folk-rock group, The Grass Roots, changed their name to Love. This was because another band was already using the name The Grass Roots.
Love started playing in Hollywood clubs like the Brave New World and Whisky a Go Go. At these clubs, famous people like Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix would sometimes watch them play. After performing at the Whisky a Go Go, Love signed a record deal with Elektra Records. Their music was played a lot on Los Angeles radio.
Love's music was a mix of different styles. These included folk-rock, psychedelic rock, and R&B. Some people even called Lee "the first punk rocker," but he didn't really like that title. His songs often had deep or funny lyrics. Their cover of "My Little Red Book" was a hit in Southern California. This helped Love get a spot on the TV show American Bandstand.
Their first album, Love, came out in 1966. It included "My Little Red Book." Their second album, Da Capo (1966), had a long song called "Revelation." It also featured their only song to reach the Top 40 charts, "7 and 7 Is".
Forever Changes (1967) was their next album. It became a very important album for the band's psychedelic sound. It didn't sell a huge amount when it first came out, but it became a cult favorite over time.
After Forever Changes, the band released one more song, "Your Mind and We Belong Together," in 1968. Then, the original Love band broke up. However, Arthur Lee soon started a new version of Love. This new band included Lee on vocals and guitar, Jay Donnellan on guitar, Frank Fayad on bass, and George Suranovich on drums.
Lee signed a new record deal with Blue Thumb Records. This led to two albums: Four Sail (1969) and Out Here (1969). These albums had a harder rock sound. Love also toured Europe for the first time, where they were very popular.
The next album was False Start (1970). It continued the heavier rock sound and included elements of classic R&B. The first song on the album, "The Everlasting First," features Jimi Hendrix on guitar. Lee and Hendrix recorded this song in England.
In 1971, Lee signed with Columbia Records. He recorded many songs, but they were not released at the time. These songs were later released in 2009 as "Love Lost."
Arthur Lee's Solo Work
In 1972, Arthur Lee released his first solo album, Vindicator, on A&M Records. He worked with a new group of musicians who also played as the band Love. This album did not become a big hit. Lee recorded another solo album in 1973 called Black Beauty, but the record company closed before it could be released.
Lee's next album, Reel to Real (1974), was credited to a new version of Love. A new solo album, simply called Arthur Lee, came out in 1981 on Rhino Records. It included covers of other artists' songs.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, there were attempts to bring the original Love band members back together. Some live recordings from this time were released as albums. However, the 1980s were mostly a quiet time for Lee's music career. He said he took a break to care for his father.
Lee returned to music in 1992 with a new album, Arthur Lee & Love - {Five String Serenade}. The title song, "Five String Serenade," was later covered by other artists like Mazzy Star. He started touring regularly with a band called Baby Lemonade. In 1995, Rhino Records released Love Story, a collection of his music from 1966 to 1972.
Later Years and Passing
Time in Prison
In 1996, Arthur Lee faced legal issues and was sent to prison. He was released on December 12, 2001, after serving about five and a half years. A court later reversed the charge that led to his imprisonment. While he was in prison, his former bandmates Bryan MacLean and Ken Forssi passed away.
Final Years and Legacy
After his release, Lee formed a new version of Love. He planned a tour to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Forever Changes album. The band The Make-Up even released a song called "Free Arthur Lee" to support him.
Some of Love's songs, like "My Little Red Book" and "7 & 7 Is," have been used in movies such as High Fidelity and Point Break.
In 2002, Lee began touring extensively as "Love with Arthur Lee." He performed across Europe, North America, and Australia. This band was made up of the members of Baby Lemonade. They often performed the entire Forever Changes album with a string and horn section. A live CD and DVD of these performances were released in 2003.
Johnny Echols, the original lead guitarist of Love, sometimes joined them for special shows. Lee and the band continued to tour until 2005.
Around this time, Arthur Lee was diagnosed with a serious illness called leukemia. He chose not to tell his bandmates at first. He announced he couldn't join the final tour in July 2005. The other members of the band, along with Echols, continued to perform as The Love Band. In September 2005, Lee moved back to Memphis, Tennessee, hoping to continue making music there. However, his health prevented this.
In April 2006, it was publicly announced that Lee was ill. Many benefit concerts were held to help pay for his medical treatment. Famous musicians like Robert Plant and Ian Hunter performed at these concerts.
Lee received treatment for leukemia, but his condition worsened. He passed away from complications of the illness in Memphis, Tennessee, on August 3, 2006, at the age of 61.
Arthur Lee's Impact on Music
Arthur Lee and his band Love left a lasting mark on music. Many artists have mentioned him in their songs or written tributes to him. For example, Robyn Hitchcock's 1993 song "The Wreck of the Arthur Lee" was written as a tribute.
The Swedish band The Soundtrack of Our Lives has a song called "The Fan Who Wasn't There" based on a conversation their singer had with Lee.
A documentary film called Love Story (2006) was made about Arthur Lee. It included his last interviews before he became ill.
Rapper Mac Miller covered Lee's 1972 song "Everybody's Gotta Live" on his album Circles (2020).
In 2012, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Love's album Forever Changes as one of the greatest albums of all time. The album was also added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008 and the National Recording Registry in 2012.
Arthur Lee's Music Albums
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See also
In Spanish: Arthur Lee para niños
