Arthur Conley
Arthur Conley | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Arthur Lee Conley |
Also known as | Lee Roberts |
Born | McIntosh County, Georgia, U.S. | January 4, 1946
Died | November 17, 2003 Ruurlo, Netherlands | (aged 57)
Genres | Soul |
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Years active | 1959–1988 |
Arthur Lee Conley (January 4, 1946 – November 17, 2003), also known in later years as Lee Roberts, was an American soul singer, best known for the 1967 hit "Sweet Soul Music".[1]
Early life
Conley was born in McIntosh County, Georgia, U.S., and grew up in Atlanta. He first recorded in 1959 as the lead singer of Arthur & the Corvets. With this group, he released three singles in 1963 and 1964—"Poor Girl", "I Believe", and "Flossie Mae"—on the Atlanta-based record label, NRC Records.[2]
Biography and career
In 1964, he moved to a new label (Baltimore's
After several years of hit singles in the early 1970s, he relocated to England in 1975, and spent several years in Belgium, settling in Amsterdam (Netherlands) in spring 1977. At the beginning of 1980 he had some major performances as Lee Roberts and the Sweaters in the Ganzenhoef,
Personal life
Conley was gay, and several music writers have said that his homosexuality was a bar to greater success in the United States and one of the reasons behind his move to Europe and his eventual name change.[6] In 2014, rock historian Ed Ward wrote, "[Conley] headed to Amsterdam and changed his name to Lee Roberts. Nobody knew 'Lee Roberts,' and at last Conley was able to live in peace with a secret he had hidden—or thought he had—for his entire career: he was gay. But nobody in The Netherlands cared."[7]
Death
Conley died at the age of 57 from
.Discography
Albums[9]
- Sweet Soul Music (Atlantic, 1967)
- Shake, Rattle & Roll (Atlantic, 1967)
- Soul Directions (1968)
- More Sweet Soul (1969)
Singles
- "I Believe" (1963, as Arthur & the Corvets)
- "Flossie Mae" (1963, as Arthur & the Corvets)
- "Poor Girl" (1963, as Arthur & the Corvets)
- "Where He Leads Me" / "I'm A Lonely Stranger" (1965)
- "Who's Fooling Who" / "There's A Place For Us" (1966)
- "I Can't Stop (No, No, No)" / "In The Same Old Way" (1966)
- "I'm Gonna Forget About You" (1966)
- "Sweet Soul Music" / "Let's Go Steady" (1967, co-written with Otis Redding, No. 2 R&B, No. 2 pop)
- "Whole Lotta Woman" / "Love Comes And Goes" (1967, No. 73 Pop)
- "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" (1967)
- "Shake, Rattle & Roll" (1967, No. 31 pop, No. 20 R&B)
- "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" / "Otis Sleep On" (1968, No. 51 pop, No. 41 R&B, Beatles cover featuring guitar by Duane Allman)
- "Aunt Dora's Love Soul Shack" (1968)
- "Funky Street" / "Put Our Love Together" (1968)
- "People Sure Act Funny" (1968, Top 20 R&B)
- "Burning Fire" (1968)
- "Is That You Love" (1968)
- "Run On (1968)
- "Star Review" (1969, with Tom Dowd, written by Allen Toussaint)
- "They Call the Wind Maria" (1969)
- "Day-O" (1969, made famous by Harry Belafonte)
- "God Bless" (1970, Top 40 R&B)
- "I'm Living Good" (1971)
- "Walking on Eggs" / "More Sweet Soul Music" (1972)
- "Rita" (1972)
- "It's So Nice (When It's Someone Else's Wife)" (1974)
References
- ^ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 51 - The Soul Reformation: Phase three, soul music at the summit. [Part 7] : UNT Digital Library" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
- ^ ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
- ^ "Stax Records". goergwa.demon.co.uk. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
- ^ Foxlee, Neil (December 2, 2003). "Obituary: Arthur Conley". The Guardian. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
- ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ "Boss Tracks, Arthur Conley, Sweet Soul Music". Bosstracks.blogspot.com. February 27, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
- ^ "The Mysterious Case of Arthur Conley, Otis Redding's Protege". NPR.org. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
- ^ Foxlee, Neil (December 2, 2003). "Obituary: Arthur Conley". The Guardian. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ "Arthur Conley". Discogs. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
External links
- Memorial website (in Dutch) Photos from Arthur's last live performance, June 9, 2002, in Netherlands.
- Arthur Conley Sweet Soul Music Home Page w/ CD Liner Notes, Discography and Latest Releases
- Yoni's Home of Soul Music page on Conley, w/ info about unreleased tracks
- Arthur Conley at Find a Grave
- Otis Redding's biography contains history of Jotis Records
- Answers.com article on Arthur Conley
- Arthur Conley Dies