Lee Fields facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lee Fields
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Lee Fields at Haldern Pop (2013)
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Elmer Lee Fields |
| Born | April 26, 1950 Wilson, North Carolina, United States |
| Origin | Plainfield, New Jersey, United States |
| Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day |
| Genres | Soul, funk, R&B, retro-soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, composer, musician |
| Years active | 1969-present |
| Labels | Big Crown Records, Truth and Soul Records, Desco Records, Daptone Records |
| Associated acts | Sharon Jones, Charles Bradley |
Elmer Lee Fields (born April 26, 1950) is an American soul singer. People sometimes call him "Little JB." This is because he looks and sounds a bit like the famous singer James Brown.
Lee Fields has worked with many well-known musicians. These include Kool and the Gang, B. B. King, and Dr. John. He released his first song in 1969 and is still making music today. His recent albums, like Faithful Man (2012), Special Night (2017), and It Rains Love (2019), were made with his band, The Expressions. In 2014, he even sang in the movie Get On Up, which was about James Brown.
Early Life and Music Dreams
Lee Fields was born in Wilson, North Carolina, in the United States. He was the second of six children. From a young age, he loved music.
When he was 17, Lee decided to move to New York City to become a singer. His mother gave him her last 20 dollars to help him. Because of his singing and dancing style, which reminded people of James Brown, he quickly got the nickname "Little JB." Later, when he got married, he moved to Plainfield, New Jersey.
Lee Fields' Music Journey
Starting Out (1969–1981)
Lee Fields released his first song, "Bewildered," in 1969. He continued to release many popular songs in the 1970s. Some of these included "Let's Talk It Over" and "She's a Love Maker." In 1979, he released his first full album, also called Let's Talk It Over.
In the 1980s, disco music became very popular. This made it harder for soul singers like Lee Fields to find places to perform. To support his family, Lee Fields started working in real estate in Newark, New Jersey.
Back to Music (1990s–2008)
In the 1990s, Lee Fields returned to singing soul-blues music. He signed with Ace Records and released albums like Enough Is Enough and Dreaming Big Time. On Dreaming Big Time, he even played keyboards himself.
Later, he joined Desco Records. Another singer, Sharon Jones, sang backup for him on some early songs. Lee Fields released more music with Desco, including the album Let's Get a Groove On in 1999. Desco Records later split into two new labels, Daptone Records and Soul Fire. Lee Fields recorded for both of them. He also sang on a song called "Stranded In Your Love" for Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings' album Naturally in 2005.
In 2006, a French DJ named Martin Solveig asked Lee Fields to sing on some dance tracks. They toured in France and recorded songs like "Jealousy" and "Everybody".
The Expressions (2009–Present)
Lee Fields started working with Truth and Soul Records. In 2009, Lee Fields & The Expressions released their album My World. They followed this with Treacherous in 2011 and Faithful Man in 2012. After Faithful Man, Lee Fields toured all around the world.
He then released Emma Jean in 2014 and Special Night in 2017. These albums were released on Big Crown Records. In January 2019, Lee Fields & The Expressions released a new song called "It Rains Love." The full album with the same name came out in April 2019. In 2022, Lee Fields released the album Sentimental Fool with Daptone Records.
Lee Fields in Pop Culture
Lee Fields' songs have been used by many R&B and hip hop artists. For example, Travis Scott used a part of "All I Need" from the Emma Jean album in his song "Antidote".
His music has also been featured in movies, TV shows, and video games.
- In 2008, he sang "You Don't Know What You Mean (To a Love Like Me)" for the movie Soul Men.
- His song "Honey Dove" was in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2011. It was also in an episode of American Dad that same year.
- "Wish You Were Here" was featured in the TV show Suits in 2012.
- In 2015, the song "Ladies" was played in the movie Magic Mike XXL.
- In 2016, "Could Have Been" was in the TV series Atlanta. He also appeared as a musical guest on CBS This Morning.
- A short part of "It Rains Love" was heard in the BBC series Trigonometry in 2020.
- In 2023, his song "Forever" was featured in a popular Super Bowl commercial for The Farmer's Dog.
- His recordings were also mentioned in several episodes of the TV series FUBAR in 2023.
Personal Life
Lee Fields is married to Christine, and they have four grown-up children. They live in Plainfield, New Jersey.
Discography
Let's Talk It Over (1979)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wanna Dance" | 5:35 |
| 2. | "Let's Talk It Over" | 3:09 |
| 3. | "Mighty Mighty Love" | 3:15 |
| 4. | "Flim Flam (Instrumental)" | 3:37 |
| 5. | "She's A Love Maker" | 4:15 |
| 6. | "You're My Weakness" | 3:40 |
| 7. | "Everybody Gonna Give Their Thing Away, Pt.1" | 3:00 |
| 8. | "Everybody Gonna Give Their Thing Away, Pt.2" | 4:30 |
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Total length:
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31:01 | |
| Deluxe Reissue | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Fought For Survival" | 3:14 | |||||||
| 2. | "Funky Screw" | 3:31 | |||||||
| 3. | "Take Me Back" | 3:14 | |||||||
| 4. | "Cuttin Out (On Me)" | 2:44 | |||||||
| 5. | "Bewildered" | 2:43 | |||||||
| 6. | "The Bull is Coming" | 3:33 | |||||||
| 7. | "You Been Cuttin Out (On Me)" | 2:47 | |||||||
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Total length:
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21:46 | ||||||||
Problems (2002)
Lee Fields and The Expressions released this album in 2002 with Truth and Soul Records.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Problems" | |
| 2. | "The Right Thing" | |
| 3. | "Rapping With Lee" | |
| 4. | "Bad Trip" | |
| 5. | "Get On The Good Foot" | |
| 6. | "I Don't Know Where I'm Going" | |
| 7. | "Clap Your Hands" | |
| 8. | "Honey Dove" | |
| 9. | "I'm The Man" | |
| 10. | "You Made A New Man Out Of Me" |
My World (2009)
This album was released in 2009 with Truth and Soul Records, with The Expressions.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Do You Love Me (Like You Say You Do)" | 3:25 |
| 2. | "Love Comes And Goes" | 3:11 |
| 3. | "Honey Dove" | 4:06 |
| 4. | "Money I$ King" | 3:18 |
| 5. | "My World Is Empty" | 4:01 |
| 6. | "Expressions Theme" | 2:51 |
| 7. | "My World" | 3:27 |
| 8. | "Ladies" | 4:17 |
| 9. | "These Moments" | 3:08 |
| 10. | "The Only One Loving You" | 4:09 |
| 11. | "Last Ride" | 3:40 |
Faithful Man (2012)
Lee Fields released this album in 2012 with Truth and Soul Records.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Faithful Man" | 4:06 |
| 2. | "I Still Got It" | 3:37 |
| 3. | "You're the Kind of Girl" | 4:01 |
| 4. | "I'm Still Hanging On" | 3:28 |
| 5. | "Intermission" | 2:00 |
| 6. | "Wish You Were Here" | 4:12 |
| 7. | "Who Do You Love" | 2:51 |
| 8. | "Moonlight Mile" | 3:38 |
| 9. | "It's All Over (But The Crying)" | 4:10 |
| 10. | "Walk On Through That Door" | 5:38 |
Emma Jean (2014)
Lee Fields released this album in 2014 with Truth and Soul Records.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Just Can't Win" | 4:04 |
| 2. | "Magnolia" (J.J. Cale cover) | 3:20 |
| 3. | "Paralyzed" | 2:57 |
| 4. | "Standing By Your Side" | 3:48 |
| 5. | "Eye To Eye" | 4:15 |
| 6. | "In The Woods" (Leon Russell cover) | 3:30 |
| 7. | "All I Need" | 3:34 |
| 8. | "Still Gets Me Down" | 4:13 |
| 9. | "Talk To Somebody" | 4:04 |
| 10. | "Stone Angel" | 5:09 |
| 11. | "Don't Leave Me This Way" | 4:32 |
Special Night (2017)
Lee Fields and The Expressions released this album in 2017 with Big Crown Records.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Special Night" | 5:54 |
| 2. | "I'm Coming Home" | 3:13 |
| 3. | "Work To Do" | 3:48 |
| 4. | "Never Be Another You" | 4:25 |
| 5. | "Lover Man" | 3:13 |
| 6. | "Make The World" | 3:40 |
| 7. | "Let Him In" | 3:45 |
| 8. | "How I Like It" | 2:55 |
| 9. | "Where Is The Love" | 3:43 |
| 10. | "Precious Love" | 4:38 |
It Rains Love (2019)
Lee Fields and The Expressions released this album in 2019 with Big Crown Records.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It Rains Love" | 3:55 |
| 2. | "Blessed With The Best" | 3:49 |
| 3. | "Two Faces" | 3:43 |
| 4. | "You're What's Needed In My Life" | 3:38 |
| 5. | "Wake Up" | 3:44 |
| 6. | "Will I Get Off Easy" | 3:29 |
| 7. | "Love Prisoner" | 4:08 |
| 8. | "A Promise Is A Promise" | 3:06 |
| 9. | "God Is Real" | 3:19 |
| 10. | "Love Is The Answer" | 3:35 |
Sentimental Fool (2022)
Lee Fields released this album in 2022 with Daptone Records.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Forever" | 3:15 |
| 2. | "I Should Have Let You Be" | 3:00 |
| 3. | "Sentimental Fool" | 3:05 |
| 4. | "Two Jobs" | 3:22 |
| 5. | "Just Give Me Your Time" | 3:08 |
| 6. | "Save Your Tears For Someone New" | 2:51 |
| 7. | "The Door" | 3:01 |
| 8. | "What Did I Do" | 3:44 |
| 9. | "Without A Heart" | 3:59 |
| 10. | "Ordinary Lives" | 3:16 |
| 11. | "Your Face Before My Eyes" | 1:58 |
| 12. | "Extraordinary Man" | 3:14 |
