- Included among the Record Descriptions of Favorite Albums (Part 1).
- Lee Michaels could create such a big sound on the organ that he is often accompanied only by a drummer, as on this album Lee Michaels.
Lee Michaels – Lee Michaels (1969): Born in Los Angeles, Lee Michaels is a talented organist and keyboardist who left behind an admirable and varied body of work, although his sound is mostly grounded in old-school rhythm and blues. Most rock bandleaders and solo artists are guitarists; Lee Michaels is one of the few whose main instrument is the organ. In fact, Michaels could create such a big sound on the organ that he is accompanied only by a drummer in many of his concert appearances (and also on this album). Lee Michaels joined and left a succession of California bands before being signed by A&M Records as a solo artist in the late 1960’s.
Lee Michaels is his third and best album, where he is recorded live in the studio with only his drummer Barry “Frosty” Smith on hand. The album features a rollicking pro-drug anthem called “Heighty Hi” that got a lot of FM radio airplay. The entire first side is a cohesive medley of five songs that begins with “Tell Me How Do You Feel”, a song that appeared on the landmark Ray Charles album What’d I Say (1959), which was co-written by Ray Charles and Percy Mayfield (he is no relation to Curtis Mayfield and is best known for writing “Hit the Road Jack”). Side 2 opens with a terrific cover of T-Bone Walker’s “Stormy Monday”. Lee Michaels had his biggest hit song with “Do You Know What I Mean” that arrived on his fifth album, Fifth (1971).