Arthur Lee (musician)

Arthur Taylor Lee (born Arthur Porter Taylor; March 7, 1945 – August 3, 2006) was an American musician, singer and songwriter who rose to fame as the leader of the Los Angeles rock band Love.

Lee was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 7, 1945, in John Gaston Hospital, to Agnes (née Porter), a school teacher, and Chester Taylor, a local jazz musician and cornet player.

As an only child, Lee was known by the nickname "Po", short for Porter, and was looked after by additional family members so his mother could proceed with her teaching career.

With his father being his first connection with a musician, Lee was fascinated by music at a young age.

He would sing and hum along to blues musicians such as Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters on the radio.

At the age of four, Lee made his debut on the stage at a Baptist church, reciting a small poem about a red telephone.

In the early 1950s, his parents separated as his father "refused or neglected to provide for her", the divorce petition states.

Lee only remembered seeing his father three times during his entire life.

Subsequently, Lee and his mother packed their things and took a train to California, while his father was at work.

Lee and his mother resided in Los Angeles permanently in 1952.

In 1953, their divorce was granted and his mother married Clinton Lee, a successful construction worker, on April 23, 1955.

Lee was formally adopted by Clinton Lee on June 6, 1960, legally acquiring his surname, after filing for an adoption notice in 1958.

His mother was able to resume her teaching career, enabling the family to buy a new home in the West Adams area of South Central Los Angeles.

The neighborhood was also home to Johnny Echols, who attended the same schools as Lee and would later be the lead guitarist for Love.

Lee attended Sixth Avenue Elementary School and excelled in athletics but was behind academically.

Being known as "the toughest kid in the neighborhood", Lee was pressured into succeeding in school by his great aunt, a former school principal, but showed interest in sports, music, reading, and animals.

Lee later attended Mount Vernon Junior High, where his interest in music would soon outweigh his focus on sports.

Lee's first musical instrument was the accordion, which he took lessons in from a teacher.

He adapted to reading music and developed a good ear and natural musical intelligence.

While he was never formally taught about musical theory and composition, he was able to mimic musicians from records and compose his own songs.

Eventually, he persuaded his parents to buy him an organ and harmonica.

Graduating from Susan Miller Dorsey High School, Lee's musical ambitions found opportunities between his local community and classmates.

As opposed to attending a college under a sports scholarship, he strived for a musical career.

His plan of forming a band was under the influence of Echols, after seeing him perform "Johnny B. Goode" with a five-piece band at a school assembly.

His first known recording is from 1963.

The Ninth Wave (Capitol Records 4980) was released by his first band, the instrumental outfit called The LAGs, a Booker T & The MG's type of unit which included Johnny Echols (future co-founder, guitarist, and vocalist of Love), Lee (organ), Allan Talbert (saxophone), and Roland Davis (drums).

As a songwriter, Lee composed the surf songs "White Caps" and "Ski Surfin' Sanctuary".

"My Diary" is the first Lee composition that came near to being a hit.

It was written when Arthur was a teenager, about his teenage sweetheart Anita Billings.

Later it was the R&B singer Rosa Lee Brooks who performed and recorded it for Revis Records.

This recording included Jimi Hendrix on electric guitar.

In 1965, the Grass Roots, his folk rock unit, changed their name to Love because there was already a signed act called The Grass Roots.

Love's 1967 album Forever Changes was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and it is part of the National Recording Registry.

These early recordings are very rare but have been collected on a 1997 bootleg CD.

The American Four however have since been reissued as a 45 and are also available now on iTunes.

Lee said when he first heard The Byrds he felt vindicated since he'd already been writing music that had a similar folk rock sound.

In a 2005 interview, Lee stated that he was looking for a guitarist with a Curtis Mayfield-like feel, and Hendrix was recommended for the session by label owner Billy Revis.

Lee wrote "I've Been Tryin'" for Little Ray.

"Luci Baines", a song about President Lyndon Johnson's daughter, was performed and recorded with Lee's new band, The American Four.

He composed "Everybody Jerk" and "Slow Jerk" for Ronnie and the Pomona Casuals, a band that put out an LP on the Donna label featuring some vocals by Lee.