Emitt Rhodes, a staple of the 1960's psychedelia scene and later pioneered powerpop, died at 70.
Rhodes' death was confirmed by his friend and collaborator Chris Price, according to Pitchfork. The same was confirmed to The Guardian through Tony Blass. Blass produced the 2009 documentary film "The One Man Beatles," which featured Emitt Rhodes. According to the British publication, Blass was "honoured and blessed to have worked and spent time with him."
From rock to psychedelia
Born Emitt Lynn Rhodes, the 70-year-old musician worked as a singer-songwriter as well as a recording engineer. Born in Decatur, Illinois on February 25, 1950, Emitt Rhodes later grew up in Los Angeles. He started his professional career in music as a drummer for garage rock band "The Palace Guard." The 1960s LA-based collective was best known with the song Falling Sugar, which was popular across Southern California in 1966.
He would join the psychedelic rock band The Merry Go Round later in 1966. Emitt Rhodes would take on the role of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. The Merry Go Round released their debut single "Live." It was accompanied by "Time Will Show The Wiser" on B-side. "Live" became a moderately successful song. It climbed up to No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100. Emitt Rhodes and The Merry Go Round released its self-titled album in November 1967.
Solo career and "Emitt Rhodes"
The band later disbanded in 1969, with Rhodes pursuing a solo career shortly after. He invested in sound recording equipment to set up his own studio. His recorded singles would later form his eponymous debut album. ABC/ Dunhill Records would sign him, release his debut albums, as well as his next two albums. Emitt Rhodes reportedly received an advance for his debut album, investing them further on recording equipment.
His debut album peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard 200. During his opening performance at the historic Troubadour nightclub on February 9, 1971, a large earthquake struck the Los Angeles area. It was later recalled at a Billboard ad that what hit LA was not an earthquake, but Emitt Rhodes opening at the Troubadour.
He would later release two more solo albums, "Mirror" in 1971 and "Farewell to Paradise" in 1973. After the release of "Farewell," Rhodes suddenly vanished from the spotlight - no longer performing and releasing no new material. He did, however, continue writing and recording songs in his studio. Rhodes worked as a record engineer and producer for Elektra Records.
In 2009, director Cosimo Messeri and producer Tony Blass worked on "The One Man Beatles," which featured Messeri traveling to find Rhodes. Aside from hearing Rhodes perform, it also clarified one of the persisting rumors in the late 60s and 70s - that Emitt Rhodes was actually Paul McCartney's alter-ego. Emitt refutes the rumors himself and shows the studio where he recorded most of his unreleased library.
He would return to working on an album by 2014, collaborating with Chris Price. Rhodes would release "Rainbow Ends" on February 26, 2016 and would become Rhodes' first album after 43 years. It featured performances and contributions from Bleu, The Bangles' Susanna Hoffs, Wilco's Nels Cline, Jason Falkner, Pat Sansone, and more.
Watch Emitt Rhodes play on the piano from a raw footage in his 2009 documentary "The One Man Beatles" below:
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