Lee Michaels

An eclectic vocalist, composer, and stage performer, Lee Michaels fused the visceral force of hard rock with the exploratory reach of psychedelia and progressive rock, all shot through with the emotional intensity and raw edge of rhythm and blues. His singing supplied much of that grit, shifting without warning from honeyed tones to a raspy, soul-baring delivery. Equally adept on keyboards, Michaels frequently headlined entire concerts using only a drummer for support, though he also commanded the piano and harpsichord with equal assurance. That broad sonic palette may help explain why broader commercial breakthrough remained elusive despite a devoted following, yet he did score a Top Ten single in 1971 with “Do You Know What I Mean.”

Lee Eugene Michaels entered the world on November 24, 1945, in Los Angeles, California. By the middle of the 1960s he had already become a familiar presence on the state’s music circuit, playing keyboards for the Sentinels, a surf-rock outfit carrying R&B leanings that also included John Barbata, later of the Turtles. He contributed a song to the debut album of the sunshine-pop group the Holy Mackerel, whose ranks featured songwriter and media figure Paul Williams. Michaels next joined the Strangers, the band fronted by Joel Scott Hill, who would later join Canned Heat on guitar. That association proved brief; so did his stint with the San Francisco-based Family Tree, whose members included future power-pop luminary Bob Segarini. Michaels nevertheless remained in the Bay Area.

Striking out alone, he secured a contract with A&M Records, which issued his first album, Carnival of Life, in 1968. The psychedelic-tinged set sold modestly, prompting a swift follow-up in the harder-edged Recital before year’s end. His third release, the self-titled Lee Michaels of 1969, found him collaborating with drummer Barry “Frosty” Smith and yielded both the FM staple “Heighty Hi” and his signature reading of “Stormy Monday.” Frosty became his regular stage partner, their amplified organ-and-drums duo generating enough wattage to share bills with leading hard-rock acts. Michaels constructed a home studio where he recorded 1970’s Barrel, a collection of funky, socially conscious hard rock featuring Frosty and guitarist Drake Levin. For 1971’s Fifth, Joel Larson replaced Frosty on drums; though the album itself was not among Michaels’ most ambitious, its white-soul track “Do You Know What I Mean” resonated with programmers, climbing to number six on the singles chart and delivering the artist’s biggest commercial success.

Fifth and its hit single elevated Michaels to genuine rock-star status, yet the follow-up failed to retain the new audience. Dominated by two lengthy, partly improvised pieces each running roughly fifteen minutes and showcasing Michaels on guitar rather than keyboards, 1972’s Space & First Takes precipitated a rupture with A&M. He closed out his obligations with the 1972 concert album Lee Michaels Live, captured in New York. Signing with Columbia Records brought little further traction: neither 1973’s Nice Day for Something nor 1974’s Tailface found favor with listeners or buyers, and the label parted ways with him. Within a few years Michaels had largely withdrawn from the spotlight. He resurfaced only sporadically with Absolute Lee in 1996 and My Life in 2008. After stepping back from music he opened a Marina del Rey, California, restaurant built around a spicy shrimp recipe of his own creation. Killer Shrimp proved popular and remains a family-operated chain with six locations across California and Nevada. In 2015 Manifesto Records issued the box set The Complete A&M Albums Collection containing his first seven albums, along with the single-disc anthology Heighty Hi: The Best of Lee Michaels.