Drake Levin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Drake Levin
|
|
|---|---|
Paul Revere and the Raiders in 1966, Front L–R: Paul Revere, Dick Clark and Mike Smith. Back L–R: Drake Levin, Phil Volk, and Mark Lindsay.
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Drake Maxwell Levin |
| Born | August 17, 1946 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | July 4, 2009 (aged 62) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop, Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Associated acts | Paul Revere and the Raiders, Ananda Shankar, Emitt Rhodes, Lee Michaels, Phil Volk |
Drake Maxwell Levin (born August 17, 1946 – died July 4, 2009) was an American musician. He was best known as the guitarist for the popular pop-rock band Paul Revere & the Raiders.
Contents
Early Life
Drake Levin was born in Chicago, Illinois. His family's original last name was Levinshefski. It was shortened to Levin a few years before he was born.
Joining Paul Revere & the Raiders
Levin joined the band Paul Revere & the Raiders in 1963. He was only 16 years old at the time. Because of his young age, Paul Revere nicknamed him "The Kid."
Drake's arrival helped the Raiders become a top showband in the Northwest United States. He was known for his exciting stage performances. He would do synchronized dance steps and play his guitar behind his head. He even played while standing on his amplifier!
After one show in Seattle, a young man came up to Drake. He told Drake that his playing had inspired him. He said Drake was a really good showman. Drake thanked him and asked his name. The young man replied, "Jimi Hendrix."
Becoming a National Sensation
The Raiders became very famous across the country. This was thanks to their daily TV show, Where The Action Is, on ABC. During this time, Drake and the Raiders made many hit songs. Drake's guitar style was based on blues music. This gave the band its raw and energetic sound.
Drake and the band's bassist, Phil Volk, often did synchronized dance moves. They were so good together that they were nicknamed "The Twins."
In 1966, Drake left the touring band. He needed to fulfill his military service by joining the National Guard. However, he still recorded music in the studio with the group. You can hear his guitar and background vocals on Raiders albums like The Spirit of '67. Even though his photo wasn't on the album cover, his music was there. Another guitarist, Jim "Harpo" Valley, took his place for TV and concert performances.
Drake also released his own songs in December 1966. These were "On the Road to Mexico" and "Glory Train." He used the name dRAKE for these songs.
Returning to the Band
Later, when Phil Volk got sick, Drake filled in for him on bass guitar for a few shows. When Jim Valley left the Raiders, Drake returned again to help the band finish their spring 1967 tour.
Drake was supposed to perform with the Raiders on The Ed Sullivan Show on April 30, 1967. But the band leader, Paul Revere, was upset with some band members. He believed Drake was partly responsible. Without telling anyone, Paul Revere hired a new guitarist, Freddy Weller. Freddy performed on the show instead of Drake. Drake had to watch the Raiders' only Ed Sullivan Show performance from the audience.
Brotherhood
After the Ed Sullivan Show, Phil Volk and drummer Mike Smith left the Raiders. Drake then joined them to form a new band called Brotherhood. They signed with RCA Records. However, they faced problems because of old contracts with Columbia Records from their Raiders days.
Brotherhood released two albums in 1968 and 1969. They also released a third experimental album in 1969 called Joyride. This album was released under the name Friendsound. The album cover art for Joyride was created by Edna Marie O'Dowd. She was a friend of Drake Levin.
Guitars
Drake Levin played several different guitars throughout his career. In his early days with the Raiders, he often used a triple-pickup Epiphone Crestwood Custom Deluxe. He used it in the first episode of Where The Action Is.
Sometimes, on TV, Drake was seen playing a Mosrite six- and 12-string doubleneck guitar. Mosrite offered it to him, but he found it too heavy to play comfortably. He also appeared on TV with a Vox Phantom VI. This was because the band had a deal with Vox. However, he didn't use Vox guitars for live shows or in the studio. He thought they were not well made.
Drake did use bandmate Phil Volk's 1960 Fender Stratocaster in the studio. In his later years, he played a reissue 1962 Fender Stratocaster and a Fender Telecaster.
He is most famous for his cherry red 1963 Epiphone Sheraton. He used this guitar to record his famous double-tracked guitar solo on "Just Like Me." After his death, the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN bought this guitar. Sadly, it was badly damaged in a flood in May 2010.
Later Career and Death
After Brotherhood, Drake Levin played with other artists. These included Ananda Shankar, Emitt Rhodes, and Lee Michaels. He played on Lee Michaels' album Barrel.
Drake also took part in reunions with former members of the Raiders. He often worked with his friend Phil Volk.
Drake Levin passed away from cancer on July 4, 2009. He was at his home in San Francisco, California, with his wife Sandra.
Discography
Drake Levin contributed to many recordings.
With Paul Revere & the Raiders
The band released many studio albums and hit singles during Drake's time with them. Some of their well-known songs include "Just Like Me" and "Kicks."
