Lester Chambers facts for kids

Lester Chambers (born April 13, 1940) is an American singer. He was the lead singer of a famous 1960s soul rock group called The Chambers Brothers. They had a big hit single called "Time Has Come Today".

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Lester grew up in a poor family in Mississippi. He was one of many children, with eight brothers and five sisters. Lester and three of his brothers started singing together at their church, Mount Calvary Baptist Church.

His older brother George joined the army. After he left the army, he moved to California. The other brothers soon followed him. By 1954, all four brothers were living together in California.

As part of The Chambers Brothers, Lester sang lead on many songs. These included "All Strung Out Over You", "People Get Ready", "Uptown", "I Can't Turn You Loose", and "Funky". He also sang lead on "I Can't Stand It" and "A New Time – A New Day".

Lester also released his own songs and albums. He even formed a band with Harvey Brooks, who was a bassist from another band called Electric Flag. Their group was called the Lester Chambers Harvey Brooks Band.

Today, Lester performs with his son Dylan. They are part of a band called Moonalice, which is led by Roger McNamee. They sometimes perform as The New Chambers Brothers.

Music Career Highlights

The 1960s: A New Sound

The Chambers Brothers released their album, The Time Has Come, in November 1967. This album featured popular songs like "All Strung Out Over You", "People Get Ready", and "Time Has Come Today". It was a very popular album when it came out.

"I Can't Stand It" Song

Lester Chambers wrote two songs on that album, "I Can't Stand It" and "Romeo and Juliet". He was the lead singer on both. Many years later, people still talked about how "I Can't Stand It" had a unique sound.

Other bands also recorded "I Can't Stand It". The group Spirit recorded it in 1967. Another group, Pacific Ocean, covered it in 1968. Even The Easybeats included their version on their 1968 album, Vigil.

More Music in the 60s

In October 1968, The Chambers Brothers released another album called A New Time – A New Day. Lester sang lead on songs like "I Can't Turn You Loose" and "A New Time – A New Day".

The 1970s: Getting Funky

The Song "Funky"

Lester wrote and sang lead on The Chambers Brothers' 1971 hit song, "Funky". This song was on their New Generation album. Lester once said he hoped to create a new dance with this song.

Working with Other Artists

In 1977, Lester added his voice to a song called "About to Make Me Leave Home". This song was on Bonnie Raitt's album Sweet Forgiveness.

The 1980s and 1990s

In 1980, Lester Chambers and his Blues Band were performing in Los Angeles. Many famous musicians, like George Benson and Al Jarreau, would come to their shows and join them on stage.

In 1982, Lester performed at a club in New York. He also appeared at a special concert for a good cause.

Lester Chambers Harvey Brooks Band

During the 1980s, Lester teamed up with bassist Harvey Brooks. Their band, The Chambers-Brooks Band, played many shows. They performed their own songs and also covered songs by other artists like James Brown and Marvin Gaye.

The 2000s and 2010s

In March 2011, Lester Chambers was honored. He was inducted into the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame.

Lester also sang on the Work Songs album by Jaimeo Brown Transcendence, which came out in 2016.

In December 2021, Lester Chambers performed with Moonalice at an event in San Francisco. They sang "New Time, New Day".

Lester and his son Dylan were interviewed in Goldmine magazine in April 2022. They talked about The Chambers Brothers and their current band, Moonalice.

In 2022, Lester's autobiography, Time Has Come: Revelations of a Mississippi Hippie, was published. It tells his life story.

Challenges Faced

Lester Chambers has shared that even though his group was very successful, he did not receive any royalty payments for his music for many years. This was from 1967 all the way to 1994. He has spoken about how some artists, especially Black artists, faced unfair situations like this.

In 2002, his wife, Lola Chambers, spoke to the California Senate. She said that their hit song "Time Has Come Today" earned very little money in royalties from Europe over 16 years. She found out that their records were sold overseas, but they were not paid for them.

In 2003, their home was broken into. Their collection of over 60 Chambers Brothers albums and many singles was stolen. Lola had spent 25 years collecting these records for their sons.

Lester also faced health problems and did not have health insurance. For a time, he did not have a home and slept in a rehearsal hall. Later, Yoko Ono helped him by paying for a home for him and his son Dylan.

In 2012, Lester started an online campaign to talk about the unfair royalty payments. His message spread quickly on the internet.

In July 2013, Lester was performing at a festival when an incident occurred on stage. He was reported to be okay later that evening.

Kickstarter Project

In December 2012, Lester Chambers and Alexis Ohanian, a co-founder of Reddit, started a Kickstarter project. They wanted to raise money to make a new album called Lester's Time Has Come.

Featured in "Summer of Soul"

In 2021, Lester Chambers and The Chambers Brothers were featured in the documentary film Summer of Soul, directed by Questlove.

Personal Life

Lester Chambers lives in Petaluma, California.

Discography

Singles

• "Ain't Nice To Know"/"Let Your Body Sway" – Masterpiece 1001 – 1984

Albums

• Do You Believe in Rock and Roll – Explosive Records – 2008
• It's Time – Explosive Records – 2005
• Lesters Besters Vol.1 – 2004

Lester Chambers & KK Martin

• Blues For Sale – Ranell – 2001

Compilation Albums

• Various Artists: Blues Today Volume III – BT Productions – 2002