Lee Mallory

William George "Lee" Mallory (January 10, 1945 – March 21, 2005) was a singer, songwriter and guitarist who was part of such projects as The Millennium and Sagittarius. His most successful single was a cover of the Phil Ochs/Bob Gibson song "That's the Way It's Going to Be". The song, produced by Curt Boettcher, reached No. 86 on the charts and was a surprise hit in Seattle. A CD by the same name was released in 2002, with many songs and demos Mallory had recorded during the 1960s. Lee Mallory helped start the California Sound of the 1960s.

This article is about the musician. For the poet, see Lee Mallory (poet). For the World War II RAF Fighter Command officer, see Trafford Leigh-Mallory.

Biography

Mallory was born in Berkeley, California on January 10, 1945. At 15, Lee received his first guitar. At 16, Lee ran away from home to become a musician.

The 1960s

Mallory began performing for live audiences in San Francisco's North Beach cafes, such as the Coffee Gallery and Coffee and Confusion. In 1963, he undertook a "self imposed" tour to New York and played in West Village folk clubs, including the Cafe Bizarre, the Night Owl, Cafe Wha? and the Four Winds. He later became a regular at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, where he was part of the experiment named The Men, some of whose members later formed The Association. As a performing musician in Los Angeles, Lee shared the bill with performers such as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Mallory's first recording session was as a background vocalist on Tommy Roe's "Hooray for Hazel". He became a session guitar player on some of The Association's biggest hits and co-wrote two songs they recorded, "Better Times" and "Just About the Same", both of which appear on "Just the Right Sound: The Association Anthology".

Mallory's 1966 single on Valiant Records "That's the Way It's Gonna Be" by Phil Ochs and Bob Gibson reached No. 1 in Amsterdam and No. 2 in Seattle. It was re-released on the Rhino Records compilation Hallucinations. "Take My Hand," his second single, is included in Rhino's compilation Come to the Sunshine. He recorded first with Valiant, then Columbia Records. His early works have been re-released on Sonic Past Music. He published with Opryland, Acuff-Rose and finally Sony/ATV before becoming an independent artist/songwriter/guitarist. Publishing of Lee's newer works is assigned to Redwood River Music.

The sunshine pop supergroup known as The Millennium formed from members of Lee's backup band (Jerry Scheff, Ben Benay and Toxie French). According to Lee, Jerry coined the name to signify "a thousand years of peace and prosperity." When Curt Boettcher joined, he became producer as well as a member.

Mallory performed as lead guitarist and a member of the Tribe for the first road company of the stage production of Hair. He is the only person known to have served both in the Tribe and in the band. The Hair Archives houses some photographs and journal entries from Lee.[1]

In the early 1970s (according to the liner notes of the CD Many Are the Times), Lee Mallory formed a supergroup named Hollywood with the songwriter Bill Martin (friend of Harry Nilsson) and Russ Giguere, a former member of the Association.

The 1990s

In the 1990s, Mallory developed a distinctive and subtle 12-string guitar style. In 2000, Lee toured Japan with Joey Stec of Sonic Past Music, a long-time friend and co-writer from The Millennium. In Japan, Lee was awarded a Master Musician sash.

During some lean years, as Lee recovered from his time in "the majors", Lee worked as a San Francisco bike messenger (1984 to 1995). The oldest bike messenger, he was elected to serve as president of HANX, which he termed the "bike messengers' disorganization."[2]

Mallory was a regular performer at The Cannery for many years, singing selections from a vast repertoire. During the last seven years of his life, Lee performed and recorded with friends in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Jeseppi Trade Wildfeather, originator of a documentary style form of music improvisation named the Naked Underground.[3] He and Wildfeather opened The Picnic, a day-long musical festival at San Francisco's Crissy Field in August 2002.

For 40 years, earnings from his publishing and recorded albums were debited against production and publishing advances. The original Millennium album boasting 16-track songs created on three tape recorders mickey-moused together by union engineers, cost $100,000 to produce, and the Columbia label did not commit grand resources to promote it. That, and the fact that The Millennium was not a touring band, limited their exposure at the time. Lee appreciated the recognition he finally received as the work of The Millennium was revived in the late 1990s. San Francisco State University's Lee Mallory Scholarship supports Music and Recording Industry (MRI) learning the business side of music.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors proclaimed January 10, 2005 as the first Lee Mallory Day, honoring Lee and all singer-songwriters.

On Friday, March 18, 2005, Lee completed a small set of mixes for his final album, produced by Alex James Muscat at Last Stop Records. This was his first studio work in decades, and the first in which he had complete creative control after 40 years of recording and playing with first-call studio musicians on approximately 35 albums.[4] The album's release is currently on hold.

Many Are the Times, a comprehensive review of Lee's work over time, was re-released by Sonic Past Music in 2006.[5] This includes expanded liner notes and archival photographs.

Mallory became active raising awareness of Hepatitis C.[6] He had hoped to receive a liver transplant, but ultimately succumbed to liver cancer. Lee asked that his life story serve as a "cautionary tale" to young musicians to take care of their bodies. Lee Mallory died at the University of California, San Francisco Emergency Department on March 21, 2005.

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References
  1. "Hair The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical Archives". Michaelbutler.com.
  2. "Lee Mallory "Prez"". Ahalenia.com.
  3. "News, reviews, politics, poems, essays, lyrics, criticism, commentary, food, satire, wit, humor of Jeseppi Trade Wildfeather in the Naked Underground". Nudefined.blogspot.com.
  4. "Last Stop Records". Laststoprecords.com.
  • Redwood River Music website
  • "Notes For a Bio" by Lee Mallory; personal interviews by Nina Jo Smith and documents in the Lee Mallory Archives.
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