Latest news with #Hassinger
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
James Lowe, Singer in Psych-Rock Band the Electric Prunes, Dies at 82
James Lowe of the Electric Prunes, photo byJames Lowe, the lead singer in psych-rock band the Electric Prunes, has died. In a statement shared on Facebook, Lowe's family said he died of natural causes on Thursday (May 29). 'Dad leaves behind a legacy of sound, love, and boundless creativity,' his family wrote. 'At the center of it all was our amazing mom, Pamela – his guiding star, enduring muse, and wife of 62 years. We know how deeply he cherished this community, and we feel that love too.' Lowe was 82. The founding member the Electric Prunes, Lowe's vision for groovy, trippy psych-rock had a large influence on the direction and popularity of the genre—especially in America—during the 1960s. Their biggest hit, 'I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night),' scaled the Billboard Hot 100 to secure a spot in its upper tier. It also landed a critical spot on Nuggets, the 1972 psych and garage-rock compilation that garnered a cult following. The Electric Prunes's self-titled LP boasted what would become their final Top 40 single: 'Get Me to the World on Time.' Coasting over the tracks was Lowe's smoky, soulful voice, an embodiment of easygoing Californian cool – in part thanks to him being born in San Luis Obispo and growing up in Los Angeles. Surf rock-inspired garage band the Sanctions—founded by Lowe on vocals and guitar, bassist Mark Tulin, lead guitarist Ken Williams, and drummer Michael Weakley—eventually morphed into the Electric Prunes in 1965 when a real estate agent introduced them to Dave Hassinger, the sound engineer at RCA Studios who wanted to produce an album. During the band's recording session, Hassinger suggested they change their name, and Lowe tossed out the Electric Prunes as a joke. 'It's the one thing everyone will remember,' Lowe rationalized. 'It's not attractive, and there's nothing sexy about it, but people won't forget it.' Despite their early singles failing to gain traction, Reprise Records signed the Electric Prunes to a contract overseen by Hassinger. Although a few lineup changes and songwriter sub-ins took place, they settled into the studio and churned out 'I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night).' Building off its success, they recorded the albums The Electric Prunes and Underground, both released in 1967, and went on a successful tour of Europe. Hassinger pitched the Electric Prunes on the idea of a concept album that utilized Gregorian music and psych-pop, and nabbed the late David Axelrod to compose the songs – launching a new, slowly lauded era for the band. The resulting Mass in F Minor was an ambitious, unwieldy record, and one of its spaced-out tracks, 'Kyrie Eleison,' gained a belated popularity bump when it was synced for the cult 1969 film Easy Rider. Years later, it became coveted fodder for rap producers like MF DOOM and Madlib, who worked samples from Mass in F Minor into their songs. After playing that new material just once live in concert, though, Lowe and Weakley decided to leave the band in early 1968, disenchanted with the Electric Prunes' financial difficulties and musical roadbumps. Tulin and Williams followed suit several months later. Lowe pivoted to a life behind the board, becoming a recording engineer and working with artists like Todd Rundgren and Sparks instead. Later on, Lowe also ran a TV production company. With the reins in Hassinger's hands, the Electric Prunes continued on with a different lineup until 1970, releasing two additional albums: 1968's Release of an Oath, as composed by Axelrod and belatedly heralded in experimental and hip-hop circles for its hallucinatory grooves, and 1969's Just Good Old Rock and Roll. However, come 1999, the original lineup of Lowe, Tulin, Williams, and Weakley reunited to record new music and perform live again. In 2001, they released their first comeback album, Artifact, which uncorked the psych-rock sound they originally courted in their earliest days. They went on to record three additional studio LPs: 2004's California, 2006's Feedback, and 2014's WaS. During that later run, the Electric Prunes were one of several notable bands who signed to Billy Corgan and Smashing Pumpkins producer Kerry Brown's new record label. In a 2011 interview, Lowe reflected on his past experiences in the Electric Prunes and stressed the importance of supporting bands you enjoy in real time. 'I have mentioned 'We felt like failures' many times in this process. It sounds corny, but later in life you learn you were not as bad as you thought. I have decided not to beat myself up so much,' he said. 'I encourage people to support their favorite bands by buying something from them on their websites or showing up when they play live in your town. For some, this is the only way they can continue to record and play live. If you don't want to order something, at least give encouragement and support for what they have done for you. It means a lot to get a nice email and this is all most musicians really want for their efforts: a little 'YES!!!!' when it works.' Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
After More Than 70 Years Apart, High School Sweethearts Reconnect and Get Engaged — Now They're Making Up for Lost Time
Former high school sweethearts who reconnected after spending decades apart are proving that it's never too late to find love. Bill Hassinger, 91, and Joanne Blakkan, 93, first spoke with Nexstar's WOOD-TV in January 2024, two and a half years after the high school sweethearts reunited after 73 years apart. In early February, the outlet met with the pair again to see how they've made up for lost time. 'We got engaged on Christmas Eve,' Hassinger revealed. Blakkan — who met Hassinger on the school bus in the 1940s in Muskegon, Michigan — showed off a ring with five small diamonds on her left hand. But the bride-to-be is in no rush to walk down the aisle. 'If and when we get married, it will be very small and intimate,' Blakkan said. While they may not tie the knot anytime soon, the engaged pair understand that the ring is symbolic of their commitment to each other. 'All the things that go along with making a marriage is just natural and it's natural for the two of us,' Hassinger said. 'Especially the fact that we were together as teenagers and had a good start there.' The couple fell in love in high school, even going to senior prom together, but soon went their separate ways. Graduating before Hassinger, Blakkan went off to Michigan State University. Meanwhile, Hassinger was later drafted to serve in the Korean War. Over the years, Hassinger and Blakkan got married and had children with other people. It wasn't until the fall of 2022 that their paths crossed again. '(My daughter) Linda was helping me do some research on the computer looking for my former classmates that I've lost track of and I came across Bill's name there and I researched a little bit further and saw that his wife had passed away the year before,' Blakkan told WOOD-TV last year. 'I dropped him a note and said it would be fun to reminisce." 'I forgot who she was!' Hassinger teased. 'No, that's not true. I was surprised and I hadn't thought of her or been around her, you know, all this time since high school and I thought well that's interesting, I'll get together, so I called her and told her I'd be down.' Related: Woman Gets Engagement Photos Back and Is 'Completely Shocked' by What She Sees (Exclusive) A few weeks later in September 2022, Hassinger made the 80-mile drive to see Blakkan for a lunch date. 'Neither one of us look the same after several years. I wouldn't have picked her out of a crowd … but once we got over that little bit of a shock, the personalities and the way we feel about each other just came right back,' Hassinger recalled. 'We just really went back to where we were in high school as far as feelings go,' Blakkan added. The duo went from spending weekends together to rarely spending a day apart. From going on walks to solving puzzles together, the couple enjoy each other's company. They aren't letting their age define their relationship. Last summer, they went on a road trip together and in February they took a vacation to Hawaii. 'We realize at our age we don't know how much time we have ahead of us. I mean it could be a few years yet, maybe tomorrow. How do any of us know? But in the meantime, we're having a good time,' Blakkan said. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. They plan to continue making as many memories together as they can. 'We thank God every day that at our age, we're still up and around and navigating and having a good time,' Blakkan told WOOD-TV this year. 'It's easy, right Bill?' 'Yes it is,' he answered. 'Just enjoy each other so much that it just seems bred into us." Read the original article on People
