Les Emmerson

Singer and guitarist Les Emmerson began his professional musical career in the early '60s, working with a Canadian pop/rock group called the Staccatos. He recorded a number of singles with the band, and three albums, all receiving mostly positive press. Emmerson went on to perform with several other groups through the '70s, including the Five Man Electrical Band and the Cooper Brothers. He also managed to do some solo work and later went on to open a recording studio of his own in Canada. A lot of his songs are similar to music done by popular artists of the period like the Beach Boys, the Beatles, the Four Seasons, the Monkees, and the Mamas & the Papas. Les Emmerson was born near the end of 1944. When he was only 18, he joined up with singer Dean Hagopian, drummer Rick Belanger, guitarist Vern Craig, and bassist Brian Rading to form the Staccatos. In 1965, the group completed three singles and a debut album, Initially the Staccatos, released under the Capitol Records label. Two years later, the Staccatos teamed up with the Guess Who to record a second album. The bands didn't work together, but instead each did a few songs and the results were combined into one offering, Wild Pair, that listed tracks from both groups. Though there were some hits and major awards like a Juno, the Staccatos members wanted more. Emmerson stayed with the group as it transformed into the Five Man Electrical Band. Working with labels such as MGM and Polydor, five more albums followed the name change. By 1973, Emmerson was ready to branch out on his own full-time. "Watching the World Go By," "Cry Your Eyes Out," and "Control of Me" are some of the singles he made during that time. Lee Emmerson died in a hospital in Ottawa due to complication from the COVID-19 virus on December 10, 2021. He was 77 years old.
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