Lowell George

Lowell Thomas George:(April 13, 1945 - June 29, 1979)

This is a tribute page to the late, great Lowell George. He was born on April 13, 1945 and, sadly, passed away on June 29,1979. Guitarist and lead singer with Little Feat, he also could play harmonica, flute, saxophone, and sitar. He is best known and remembered, however, for his outstanding ability on the slide guitar. Although he experimented earlier with playing slide, an injury to his hand involving a model airplane propeller (see Neon Park's cover for Little Feat's "Under the Radar") during the recording of Little Feat's first album prompted him to pursue the style. Instead of the traditional glass or steel slide, Lowell used a Sears & Roebuck 11/16ths spark-plug socket wrench. Lowell's first band, The Factory, formed in 1965. Members included future Little Feat drummer Richie Hayward and Martin Kibbee (a.k.a. Fred Martin) who later co-wrote several Little Feat songs, including "Dixie Chicken" and "Rock & Roll Doctor". Frank Zappa produced two tracks for The Factory. After The Factory, Lowell was briefly a member of The Standells and later Zappa's band, the Mothers of Invention. Lowell and Little Feat enjoyed popularity throughout the 1970's, 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 live recordings ever in rock music, became their best-selling release. 1979 saw the release of a solo album, "Thanks I'll Eat It Here". Lowell played his last show on June 28, 1979 at the Lisner Auditorium in Washington D.C. After falling ill in his room, he died on June 29, 1979. An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be a massive heart attack. His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean from his fishing boat. Jackson Browne memorialized Lowell in the song "Of Missing Persons", written about Lowell and addressed to his daughter, Inara George.