Lester Chambers facts for kids

Lester Chambers (born April 13, 1940) is an American singer. He is best known as a lead singer and member of The Chambers Brothers. This soul rock group was very popular in the 1960s. They had a famous song called "Time Has Come Today".

Lester Chambers' Music Journey

Early Career with The Chambers Brothers

As part of The Chambers Brothers, Lester sang lead on many of their popular songs. These included "All Strung Out Over You" and "People Get Ready". He also sang on "Uptown", "I Can't Turn You Loose", and "Funky". His voice helped define the group's unique sound.

Solo Work and Collaborations

Lester Chambers also released his own songs and albums as a solo artist. He worked with Harvey Brooks, a bassist from the band Electric Flag. Together, they formed the Lester Chambers Harvey Brooks Band.

Today, Lester performs with his son, Dylan. They are known as The New Chambers Brothers. They are part of the band Moonalice, led by Roger McNamee.

Creating the Hit Song "Funky"

Lester wrote and sang lead on the Chambers Brothers' 1971 hit song, "Funky". This song was featured on their album New Generation. Lester wanted to create a new dance style with this song. He said he hoped to start a new dance craze.

Working with Other Artists

In 1977, Lester Chambers added his vocals to a song called "About to Make Me Leave Home". This song was on Bonnie Raitt's album Sweet Forgiveness. He sang alongside other talented vocalists, Maxayn Lewis and Carlena Williams.

Awards and Recognition

Lester Chambers has received important recognition for his music. In March 2011, he was honored. He was inducted into the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame. This shows his lasting impact on blues music.

His Life Story

In 2022, Lester Chambers shared his life story in a book. It is called Time Has Come: Revelations of a Mississippi Hippie. A magazine called Blues Blast reviewed the book. The reviewer, Mark Thompson, said it was an interesting and well-told story.

Facing Challenges

Unfair Payments

Lester Chambers has shared that he did not receive fair payments for his music. He said he didn't get any royalty payments from 1967 to 1994. Royalties are payments artists get when their music is sold or played. He talked about how many Black artists faced similar unfair situations.

His wife, Lola Chambers, spoke about this issue in 2002. She explained that their hit song "Time Has Come Today" earned very little money from sales in Europe. She later found out that their records were sold overseas. However, they were not paid for these sales.

Personal Hardships

Lester and Lola Chambers faced tough times. In 2003, their home was broken into. Their large collection of Chambers Brothers records was stolen. Lola had spent 25 years collecting these records for their sons.

Lester also had health problems. It was hard for him to get treatment. He even became homeless for a time. He slept in a rehearsal hall. Luckily, Yoko Ono helped him. She paid for a home for him and his son Dylan.

In 2012, Lester used the internet to share his story. He posted on Facebook about the unfair royalty payments. His message quickly spread online. Many people supported him. Lester Chambers lives in Petaluma, California.

New Projects

A Kickstarter Album

In December 2012, Lester Chambers started a project on Kickstarter. Kickstarter is a website where people can raise money for creative projects. He teamed up with Alexis Ohanian, a co-founder of Reddit. Their goal was to make a new album called Lester's Time Has Come. Lester also talked with Reddit users to share more about his project.

Featured in "Summer of Soul"

In 2021, Lester Chambers and The Chambers Brothers were part of a special film. They were included in the documentary Summer of Soul. This film was directed by Questlove. It celebrated the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.

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
• Sucking my thing – 1999

Lester Chambers & KKk martin

• Blues For Sale – Ranell – 2001

Compilation albums

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