Died On This Date (February 14, 2010) Lee Freeman / Co-Founder Of Strawberry Alarm Clock
themusicsover Lee Freeman
November 8, 1949 – February 14, 2010
Lee Freeman is best remembered as a founding guitarist and co-lead singer for ’60s psychedelic rock band, Strawberry Alarm Clock. Formed in Glendale, California in 1967, the band scored a handful of charting hits, including their biggest, “Incense and Peppermints.” Freeman was still in high school when, in 1965, he co-founded and sang lead for local garage band, Thee Sixpence. Within a couple of years, the group evolved into Strawberry Alarm Clock, a name chosen to pay tribute to the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever.” “Incense and Peppermints” took a bit longer than most singles to become popular, but by the time it did, it propelled the group’s debut album to #11 on the Billboard charts. It ended up being their only album to chart. Over the next couple of years, they shared the bill with the likes of the Who, Country Joe & The Fish, the Beach Boys, and Jimi Hendrix. Strawberry Alarm Clock disbanded in 1971, but reunited permanently in 1982. In recent months, Freeman and the group were working on new material for potential release on a label owned by Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins. Lee Freeman died on February 14, 2010 following a long struggle with cancer. He was 60.
Thanks to Bryan for the help
What You Should Own
Bill Graham was a world famous concert promoter who played a key part in the growth of ’60s American rock ‘n roll. As a Jewish child born in Berlin, Graham barely escaped the Nazis by being placed in an orphanage by his mother. Fortunately, that orphanage relocated him to France before the Halocaust. Graham moved to New York City where he received his schooling after which he served in the Korean War and eventually ended up in San Francisco. In 1965, he landed his first show businees job, managing the San Francisco Mime Troupe which lead to him booking and promoting shows at the Fillmore Auditorium. Graham had a knack for finding acts that appealed to the city’s growing counter-culture scene and in doing so helped the scene itself grow. Some of the acts he featured in those early years were