Rocker Arthur Lee dies in Memphis

[laststeamtrain]

Rocker Arthur Lee dies in Memphis

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Arthur Lee, the eccentric singer/guitarist with influential 1960s rock band Love, has died in a Memphis hospital after a battle with leukemia, his manager said on Friday. He was 61.

"His death comes as a shock to me because Arthur had the uncanny ability to bounce back from everything, and leukemia was no exception," Mark Linn said in an email to Reuters. "He was confident that he would be back on stage by the fall."

Lee died on Thursday at about 5 p.m. EDT (2200 GMT) at Methodist University Hospital with his wife Diane at his side, Linn added.

Lee, a Memphis native who referred to himself as "the first so-called black hippie," formed Love in Los Angeles in 1965, emerging from the same scene as groups like the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Doors and the Mamas and Papas.

The first multiracial rock band of the psychedelic era, Love recorded three groundbreaking albums fusing traditional folk rock and blues with symphonic suites and early punk.

Bands as diverse as Led Zeppelin, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Siouxsie and the Banshees cited Love as an influence.
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http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/04/arthurlee.reut/index.html?section=cnn_latest

I was glad to see that Lee was getting his due over the last decade or so. FOREVER CHANGES IS a great recording.

[anotherdrew]

1. one of the greatest bands in history, Lee was a genius

look for the Forever Changes Live concert from London around 2002 I think it was, brilliant, he finally got to stage that wonderful album live with huge backup, note for note, it's amazing.

[warrens]

2. I have everything that guy ever produced

Some of it is a little out there, so to speak, but apart from Forever Changes, I have a picture disc of Love live that is just amazing. He will be greatly missed, and it's sad that he dies just as a whole new generation is discovering his music.