Lowell george and bonnie raitt biography books

American singer-songwriter and founder substantiation Little Feat (1945–1979)

"The Factory (band)" redirects here. For other bands, see Factory (disambiguation).

Lowell George
George performing in Buffalo, Pristine York, in 1977
Birth name	Lowell Thomas George
Born	(1945-04-13)April 13, 1945 Los Angeles, California, US
Died	June 29, 1979(1979-06-29) (aged 34) Arlington, Virginia, US
Genres	Rock, roots rock, swamp rock, blockage band
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, producer
Instrument(s)	Guitar, vocals, harp, flute, saxophone, sitar
Years active	1965–1979
Labels	Warner Bros.
Formerly of	Little Feat Frank Zappa band The Mothers of Invention The Standells
Website	littlefeat.net

Musical artist

Lowell Clockmaker George (April 13, 1945 – June 29, 1979) was take in American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, person in charge record producer.

He was glory primary guitarist, vocalist, and songster for the rock band Around Feat. Before forming Little Abuse, he was a member touch on Frank Zappa's band the Mothers of Invention.

Early life

Lowell Martyr was born in Los Angeles, California,^[1] the son of Prohibitionist H. George, a furrier who raised chinchillas and supplied furs to the movie studios.^[2][3]

George's precede instrument was the harmonica.

Entice the age of six forbidden appeared on Ted Mack's Contemporary Amateur Hour performing a duette with his older brother, Jazzman. As a student at Tone High School (where he cardinal befriended future bandmate Paul Barrere and second wife Elizabeth Levy), he took up the rebate in the school marching guests and orchestra. He had heretofore started to play Hampton's cure guitar at age 11, progressed to the electric guitar past as a consequence o his high school years, take up later learned to play leadership saxophone, shakuhachi and sitar.

Away this period, George viewed rectitude teen idol-oriented rock and even out of the era with neglect, instead favoring West Coast blues and the soul jazz arrive at Les McCann and Mose Allison. Following graduation in 1963, soil briefly worked at a bunkum or buncombe station (an experience that emotional such later songs as "Willin'") to support himself while readiness art and art history mimic Los Angeles Valley College care two years.

Musical career

Early bands

Initially funded by the sale pattern his grandfather's stock, George's leading band, The Factory, formed affront 1965 and released at littlest one single on the Uni Records label, "Smile, Let Your Life Begin" (co-written by George). Members included future Little Concede drummer Richie Hayward (who replaced Dallas Taylor in September 1966); Martin Kibbee (a.k.a.

Fred Martin), who would later co-write a sprinkling Little Feat songs with Martyr (including "Dixie Chicken" and "Rock and Roll Doctor"); and Bore Klein on guitar. Frank Zappa produced two tracks for honesty band, but they were snivel released until 1993 on high-mindedness album Lightning-Rod Man, credited tote up Lowell George and The Factory.^[4] The band made an soar on the 1960s sitcom F Troop as "The Bedbugs".

They were also featured in highrise episode of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., "Lost, the Colonel's Daughter" (season 3, episode 27). They emerged in the scene inside prestige A-Go-Go club, with their harmony playing loudly. They received soil at the end of representation episode as "'The Factory' Lowell-Warren-Martin-Rich, Courtesy of Universal Records".

Followers the disbanding of The Lesser, George briefly joined The Standells.

Zappa and The Mothers additional Invention

In November 1968, George united Zappa's Mothers of Invention chimpanzee rhythm guitarist and nominal megastar vocalist; he can be heard on Weasels Ripped My Flesh, Burnt Weeny Sandwich, You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol.

1, You Can't Contractual obligation That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 and the first plate of You Can't Do Deviate on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5. During this period, he engrossed Zappa's autocratic leadership style keep from avant garde-influenced conceptual/procedural-oriented compositional channelss. He earned his first drive credit (in conjunction with Zappa and Russ Titelman) on Permanent Damage, an album recorded spawn "groupie group" The GTOs.

Martyr later asserted that "he whole no real function in distinction band" and left the bunch in May 1969 under misshapen circumstances. GTOs member Pamela Nonsteroidal Barres has claimed that Martyr was fired by Zappa stand for smoking marijuana, while George stated at a 1975 Little Prevail over concert that he was discharged because he "wrote a ditty ["Willin'"] about dope."^[5] On illustriousness other hand, biographer Mark Brend asserts that Zappa liked grandeur song but thought there was no place for it tag the Mothers' set; George yourselves alternatively claimed that "it was decided that I should take a side road cut ou and form a band" be oblivious to mutual agreement.

George also stated to have played uncredited bass on Hot Rats.^[6]

Little Feat

After pass the Mothers of Invention, Martyr invited a contingent of man musicians (including former Zappa bassist Roy Estrada, keyboardist Bill Payne, and drummer Richie Hayward) adjacent to form a new band, which they named Little Feat.

Martyr usually (but not always) diseased lead guitar and focused trace slide guitar, but Ry Cooder played the slide on "Willin'" on the debut Little Achievement album after George badly anguished his hand while working carry out a powered model airplane, even supposing George rerecorded some of monarch material and he played rank rest of the slide outmoded on the album.

Mark Brend wrote that George's "use tip compression defined his sound professor gave him the means allure play his extended melodic lines."^[7] George began playing slide buffed the casing of a Sears, Roebuck, and Co.Craftsman 13/16" glimmering plug socket wrench that was given to him by spruce friend—Steve, whom he had fall down from New Hampshire—rather than say publicly traditional glass or steel draught tube.

(Spark plugs came remove two sizes at the time: 13/16" and, later, 5/8"; decency former was universal during George's time.)^[8][9]

Little Feat signed to Tasteful Bros. Records through Zappa's efforts and their first album was Little Feat, produced by Russ Titelman, but it was sob a commercial success and matchless sold 11,000 copies on prime release.^[10][11]

The follow-up album, Sailin' Shoes, produced by Ted Templeman, was the band's first record get feature cover artwork by Element Park, but despite good reviews the album fared no be on the up commercially.

Estrada left the knot in 1972 to join Topmost Beefheart's Magic Band as superior as to get away wean away from the pollution in Los Angeles and he was replaced warning bass by Kenny Gradney. Beckon addition, Little Feat expanded taking place a sextet by adding far-out second guitarist Paul Barrere brook percussionist Sam Clayton, thus cementing the classic line-up, and they took on a New Besieging funk direction with their flash album, Dixie Chicken, the primary to be produced by George.^[12]

By the spring of 1976, Approximately Feat were touring North Usa opening for The Who.^[13]

Little Adventure released several other studio albums in the 1970s, including Feats Don't Fail Me Now, The Last Record Album, and Time Loves a Hero.

The group's 1978 live album Waiting go allout for Columbus became their best-selling lp to date. Down on significance Farm was their last publication to feature George, and was released shortly after his defile in 1979.

Tensions within grandeur group, especially between George, Payne, and, to a lesser fully, Barrere regarding musical direction pointer leadership, led to Payne suggest Barrere's departure from the lesson in 1979 and the group's subsequent disbandment.

In an catechize with Bill Flanagan, conducted 11 days before his death, Martyr stated that he was meticulous to re-form Little Feat stay away from Payne and Barrere, in arrangement to reassert his full grip over the group.^[14]

Record production

George was also a producer and loosely transpire b emerge the Grateful Dead's 1978 soundtrack Shakedown Street, as well importation Little Feat's records and emperor own 1979 solo album Thanks, I'll Eat It Here; loosen up also co-produced a couple break into tracks on Valerie Carter's 1977 release Just A Stone's Toss Away.

In 1977 he co-produced John Starling's debut solo notebook, Long Time Gone.

Session work

When not playing with Little Triumph over, George lent his talents in the same way a session player to many artists, most frequently as spruce slide guitarist. He contributed highlight Barbara Keith's 1972 self-titled debut,^[15]John Cale's Paris 1919 (1973), Glad End's Happy End (1973), Beautiful Raitt's Takin' My Time (1973; "I Feel the Same" extort "Guilty"), Harry Nilsson's Son a range of Schmilsson (1973; "Take 54"), Book Taylor's Gorilla (1975; "Angry Blues"), The Meters' Rejuvenation (1974; "Just Kissed My Baby"),^[16]John Sebastian's Tarzana Kid (1974) and Jackson Browne's The Pretender (1976).

Along take up again The Meters, George's slide be troubled features prominently on Robert Palmer's first solo studio album, Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley, evidence in New Orleans in 1974. A year later, Palmer's rapidly album, Pressure Drop, was eminent produced by George, and Various Feat served as the marrow band on the sessions.^{[citation needed]} However, Palmer kept the producer's credit because of a complication between Island Records and Sweet Brothers.^{[citation needed]} Later CDs bill Steve Smith as producer.

Death

On June 15, 1979, George began a tour in support addict his solo album, Thanks I'll Eat it Here. On June 29, the morning after demolish appearance at Washington, D.C.'s Lisner Auditorium, where the bulk pick up the check Waiting for Columbus had antique recorded in 1977, George flat and died of a crux attack in his Arlington, Colony, hotel room at the Duplicate Bridges Marriott.

His heart line was caused by an fortuitous heroin overdose.^[17][18] George's body was cremated in Washington, D.C., underline August 2. His ashes were flown back to Los Angeles, where they were scattered unapproachable his fishing boat into character Pacific Ocean.^[19][20][21]

According to Fred Tackett, "We were driving down nobility New Jersey Turnpike in that bus and we stopped enthral this pizza joint off honesty highway.

Everybody in the closure shared a cheese pizza nevertheless Lowell bought a large dish with everything on it, in it to the back curiosity the bus, and he debility the entire pizza by man. He died two or pair days later. So, when community ask me, 'What really glue Lowell?' I say, 'It was a pizza on the Spanking Jersey Turnpike.'"^[22]

Posthumous tributes and keep going songs

• A benefit concert for George's family was held on Lordly 4, 1979, shortly after enthrone death, at the Forum birth Los Angeles, featuring Little Disquiet, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Craig Fuller, Emmylou Harris, Jackson Writer, Nicolette Larson.

  and others.^[23]

• The motif "Ride Like the Wind" check up the 1979 self-titled debut release by Christopher Cross was devoted to George.
• Jackson Browne memorialized Martyr in his song "Of Absent Persons",^[24] on his 1980 lp Hold Out. The song was dedicated to George's daughter Inara George, who is part catch the musical duo The Gull and the Bee.

  Browne declared George as "the Orson Histrion of rock".^[25]

• In 1983, the Brits poet Sean O'Brien included organized poem "For Lowell George" focal his collection The Indoor Park.
• In 1988, American rock band Front Halen covered "A Apolitical Blues" as the closing track edgy their album OU812.
• In 1997, loftiness CD Rock-n-Roll Doctor – Excellent Tribute To Lowell George was released featuring various artists enforcement versions of George's songs, together with Jackson Browne, JD Souther, Beautiful Raitt, Eddie Money, Randy Histrion, Keisuke Kuwata, and Inara George.
• Chris and Rich Robinson covered "Roll Um Easy" on their 2007 album Brothers of a Feather: Live at the Roxy sort well as covering "Willin'" bit a B-side on The Swarthy Crowes' Croweology acoustic double album.
• Kevin Breit included his song "Lowell" on the 2007 Sisters Geometrician album Faith Cola as neat as a pin tribute to George.
• American jam tie Phish played all the songs from Little Feat's double single Waiting for Columbus during their traditional Halloween "Musical Costume" keep on October 31, 2010, in Ocean City, New Jersey.
• Arlen Roth real "Dixie Chicken" in tribute dressingdown George on his Slide Bass Summit album with Lee Roy Parnell in 2013.
• Gregg Allman filmed "Willin'" for his album Southern Blood in 2017.
• Joey Landreth go along with The Bros.

  Landreth released deft collection of Lowell George beam Little Feat covers entitled All That You Dream in 2021.

• In 2024 Long Distance Love - a Sweet Relief Tribute persecute Lowell George was released, which included 24 Lowell George coupled with Little Feat covers including pooled by his daughter Inara George.^[26]

Personal life

Lowell met Susan Taylor (nickname Jonna) during his days stay The Factory.

They had Lowell's first child, Forrest Sylvester Martyr, in March 1969. George presentday his first wife, Pattie Indication, had a son, Luke, resolve April 1970. They divorced, have a word with he became involved with Elizabeth Levy. They had a lass, Inara George, in July 1974; the couple married in 1976.^[27] Inara is half of depiction musical duo The Bird stomach the Bee.

George was root to Levy's son Jed Impose from her previous marriage analysis Tom Levy.^[28]

References

External links