Johnny Echols facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Johnny Echols
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Echols onstage with The Love Band,
July 2019, Bristol, England |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Marshall Echols |
| Born | February 21, 1947 Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1960s-present |
| Associated acts | The LAGs, Love, Arthur Lee, Baby Lemonade |
John Marshall Echols (born February 21, 1947) is an American songwriter and guitarist. He was a co-founder and the lead guitar player for the rock band Love.
Early Life and Starting Music
Johnny Echols was born in Memphis, Tennessee. In the late 1950s, his family moved to Los Angeles, California. There, he reconnected with a childhood friend, Arthur Lee, whose family had also moved from Memphis.
Johnny started playing guitar when he was a child. As a teenager, he played in bands with other musicians like Billy Preston and Marilyn McCoo. Johnny and Arthur both went to Dorsey High School. They decided to form a band together.
Their band was first called "Arthur Lee and the L.A.G.'s." Later, they changed their name to The American Four, then The Grass Roots. Finally, in 1965, they became known as Love. Johnny also worked as a studio musician, playing guitar for other artists.
Playing with the Band Love
Johnny Echols was the lead guitarist and a writer for Love's first three albums. These albums were Love, Da Capo, and Forever Changes. He helped write songs on the first two albums.
Forever Changes is often called one of the greatest rock albums ever made. It included songs written by Arthur Lee and another band member, Bryan MacLean. Johnny also wrote songs for a possible album called Gethsemane, but these songs were not recorded by the band.
In 1968, the band Love broke up. They were not performing as much, and sales for Forever Changes were not as high as hoped. There were also disagreements among the band members.
What Johnny Did Later
After Love broke up, Johnny Echols moved to New York City. He worked as a studio musician with famous artists like Miles Davis. He also taught guitar to others.
In the 1980s, Johnny moved to Arizona. For many years, there were attempts to bring the band Love back together. This finally happened in 2003. Johnny joined Arthur Lee and his band, Baby Lemonade, on stage in Los Angeles.
Johnny toured with the band in 2004 and 2005. Sadly, Arthur Lee became ill with cancer and passed away in 2006. After Arthur's death, Johnny Echols continued to perform with Baby Lemonade. They performed under names like "Love Revisited" and "The Love Band featuring Johnny Echols."
