Emitt Rhodes | |
|---|---|
 Emitt Rhodes, 1973 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Emitt Lynn Rhodes |
| Born | February 25, 1950 Decatur, Illinois, U.S. |
| Origin | Hawthorne, California, U.S. |
| Died | July 19, 2020 (aged 70) Hawthorne, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, drums, guitar, piano, bass guitar, percussion |
| Years active | 1964–2020 |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | |
Emitt Lynn Rhodes (February 25, 1950 – July 19, 2020)[3][4] was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer. At the age of 14, Rhodes began his career in musical ensembles the Palace Guard as the group's drummer before joining the Merry-Go-Round as a multi-instrumentalist.[5] He has been called the "One-Man Beatles" due to the style and skill of his songwriting and instrumentation.[6]
As a member of the Merry-Go-Round, Rhodes wrote or co-wrote eleven of the twelve songs on the band's first and only album, released in 1967. Over the next two years, Rhodes wrote and recorded several songs in order to fulfill a contractual obligation the band had with A&M Records. Following the band's dissolution, those songs were released as the album The American Dream (1970), an album credited to Rhodes but released without his input.
Rhodes's debut solo album is generally considered to be his self-titled 1970 release, which he recorded in his home studio. He went on to record and release two more solo albums, Mirror (1971) and Farewell to Paradise (1973). His career ended in 1973 because of a trial with his label.[7]
Silent for 43 years, he was a cult figure of psychedelic pop music when he released his last album, Rainbow Ends, in 2016.[8]
- ^ a b "Emitt Rhodes, influential US psych-pop musician, dies aged 70". The Guardian. July 20, 2020.
- ^ Paul, John (November 23, 2015). "Various Artists: To Love the Bee Gees: A Tribute to the Brothers Gibb". PopMatters. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
- ^ Ben Beaumont-Thomas (July 20, 2020). "Emitt Rhodes, influential US psych-pop musician, dies aged 70". The Guardian. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
- ^ O'Connell, Sean J. (July 21, 2020). "Emitt Rhodes, a one-man 1970s cult band from Hawthorne, dies at 70". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Emitt RHODES biography". The Great Rock Bible. Archived from the original on February 25, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
- ^ Schudel, Matt (July 29, 2020). "Emitt Rhodes: The 'one-man Beatles' who became a cult figure among musicians". The Independent. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
washingtonpost.comwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Emitt Rhodes breaks 43 years of silence on 'Rainbow Ends', Washington Post, February 25, 2016