Today we are going to tell you some facts about American musician, singer and songwriter Arthur Lee, known as the leader of the band "Love":
(Photo: Michael Ochs Archives)
= He was born Arthur Porter Taylor, on March 7 in Memphis, Tennessee.
= From early childhood he was fascinated by music due to his father, a local jazz musician and cornet player.
= His first instrument was the accordion; he later persuaded his parents to buy him an organ and harmonica.
= He made his first public performance at age four, at a Baptist church, reciting a small poem.
= His parents divorced when he was a child. Lee and his mother moved to Los Angeles in 1952. His mother remarried Clinton Lee in 1955; Arthur was formally adopted in 1960 and acquired his surname.
= After the divorce Lee remembered seeing his father only three times during his entire life.
= He attends Sixth Avenue Elementary School, Mount Vernon Junior High, and Susan Miller Dorsey High School. His interest was sports, music, and reading.
= He was influenced by seeing Johnny Echols perform "Johnny B. Goode" at a school assembly.
= He was inspired by bands like "The Byrds" and "Rolling Stones" and seeing Jimi Hendrix perform at the California Club.
= In 1963 Lee made his first known recording with The "LAGs", an instrumental band, which included Johnny Echols (future co-founder, guitarist, and vocalist of "Love"), Lee (organ), Allan Talbert (saxophone), and Roland Davis (drums).
= Lee was immediately discovered as a great songwriter. He composed the surf songs "White Caps" and "Ski Surfin' Sanctuary".
= The song "My Diary" was written when Arthur was a teenager, about his teenage sweetheart Anita Billings. Later it was the R&B singer Rosa Lee Brooks in a recording that included Jimi Hendrix on electric guitar.
= That time Lee also wrote songs for other artists, "I've Been Tryin'" for Little Ray and "Everybody Jerk" and "Slow Jerk" for "Ronnie and the Pomona Casuals", a band that put out an LP featuring some vocals by Lee.
= In the mid-60s Lee wrote "Luci Baines", a song about President Lyndon Johnson's daughter, which was performed and recorded with Lee's new band, "The American Four".
= Later Lee formed a band called "The Grass Roots", which changed its name to "Love" in 1965, because there was already a band called "The Grass Roots".
(Photo: Michael Ochs Archives)
= In 1966 "Love" released its debut album "Love" which includes "My Little Red Book".
= In 1966 "Love" released its second album "Da Capo", featuring "7 and 7 Is".
= In 1967, "Love" released its masterpiece album "Forever Changes", which later became a cult classic.
= In 1968 "Love" released a non-album single "Your Mind and We Belong Together", before the original band dissolved.
= In 1969 Arthur Lee released the album "Four Sail and Out Here" with a new "Love" lineup.
= In 1970 "Love" released "False Start", featuring Jimi Hendrix on "The Everlasting First".
= In 1972 Arthur Lee released his first solo album "Vindicator".
= In 1973 Arthur Lee Recorded "Black Beauty" with "Love", the album was unreleased until 2012.
= In 1974 "Reel to Real" was released with a new "Love" lineup, with the addition of guitarist John Sterling.
= In 1981 Lee released his second solo album titled "Arthur Lee".
= 1980s: Releases live album "Love Live" and the compilation 'Studio/Live".
= In 1992 he re-emerges with "Arthur Lee & Love" - "Five String Serenade".
= In 1995 the "Love Story" compilation was released by "Rhino Records".
= In 1996 Lee was sentenced to 12 years in prison under California's three strikes law, for negligent discharge of a firearm. He serves 5½ years.
= In 2001 Lee was released from prison and made plans to perform "Forever Changes" 35th Anniversary Tour.
= In 2003 Lee released live CD and DVD of "Forever Changes" concert.
= In 2005 Lee was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.
= Lee died in 2006 from complications of leukemia on August 3.
= In 2008 "Forever Changes" was inducted into the "Grammy Hall of Fame".
= In 2012, the "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked "Forever Changes" 40th in its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
= The same year "Forever Changes" entered into the National Recording Registry.
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