| Lowell George |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT LOWELL GEORGE | |
| 1945 births | |
| 1979 deaths | |
| american rock guitarists | |
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| people from the san fernando valley | |
| little feat members | |
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Lowell George (Lowell Thomas George, born April 13 , 1945 in Hollywood , California - died June 29 , 1979 in Arlington, VA) was an American musician, Singer and Guitarist , with the Rock group Little Feat and as a solo artist. BIOGRAPHY Lowell George was the son of Willard H. George, a famous furrier in Hollywood who raised Chinchillas and supplied furs to the movie studios (he was also known as the "furrier to the stars"). His first instrument was the harmonica. At the age of 6 he appeared on a television talent show ( Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour ) performing a duet with his older brother, Hampton. At Hollywood High School (Little Feat member Paul Barrere was a schoolmate) Lowell took up the flute in the marching band and school orchestra. He started to play guitar at age 11, and as well as Harmonica and Flute , and would also learn to play the Saxophone and Sitar . He is best known and remembered for his outstanding ability on the as major influences on the sound of their '' Beggar's Banquet '' and '' Let It Bleed '' albums. George's first band, The Factory, formed in 1965. Members included future Little Feat drummer Richie Hayward (he replaced Dallas Taylor in Sept 1966), and Martin Kibbee (a.k.a. Fred Martin) who would later co-write several Little Feat standards, including "Dixie Chicken" and "Rock & Roll Doctor". Frank Zappa produced two tracks for The Factory. Following the demise of The Factory, George briefly joined established hit band The Standells , although by this time (1968) they were past their prime, and soon to split. There followed a few months in late 1968 / early 1969 where George was a member of Zappa's band, the Mothers Of Invention . According to George's recollection, he was kicked out of Zappa's group after proposing the song " Willin' ," ostensibly because it was about Drugs . (The song about a truck driver contains references to drug and alcohol use.) "Willin'" and "Dixie Chicken" are his most well known and frequently recorded songs. Little Feat enjoyed popularity throughout the 1970s, releasing a series of highly regarded studio albums: '' Little Feat '', '' Sailin' Shoes '', '' Dixie Chicken '', '' Feats Don't Fail Me Now '', '' The Last Record Album '', and '' Time Loves A Hero ''. The group's 1978 live album '' Waiting For Columbus '', hailed by some as one of the greatest ever live albums, became their best-selling release. George was also a notable producer, with his most famous work being the production of the Grateful Dead 's 1978 release Shakedown Street . In 1979, George released the solo album Thanks, I'll Eat It Here . On June 15, 1979, he began a tour in support of the album. The tour included a stop in Washington D.C., where Little Feat and George had a large following. Playing at Lisner Auditorium, on the campus of George Washington University , -- a popular venue where he had played many shows with Little Feat -- George put on an excellent show, focused on his new album. George returned to his room at the Key Bridge Marriott hotel in Arlington, Virginia . After falling ill in his room, Lowell George died on June 29, 1979. Although George was a long time drug user, the policeman who attended the scene found no evidence of drug paraphernalia, or of drugs having been removed from the scene. Overweight and a habitual heavy smoker, George's hard-working rock and roll lifestyle had apparently taken its toll. An autopsy showed that he died of a massive Heart Attack . Lowell George's body was cremated in Washington D.C. on August 2. His ashes were flown back to Los Angeles, where they were scattered in the Pacific Ocean from his fishing boat. POSTHUMOUS TRIBUTES A benefit concert for Lowell George's family was held shortly after his death at The Forum in Los Angeles on August 4, 1979, featuring Little Feat , Jackson Browne , Linda Ronstadt , Bonnie Raitt , Nicolette Larson , among others. . In 1997, the CD "Rock-n-Roll Doctor - A Tribute To Lowell George" was released featuring various artists performing versions of Lowell George's songs, including Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Bonnie Raitt, Eddie Money, Randy Newman, and Lowell George's daughter Inara. EXTERNAL LINKS REFERENCE |
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