James Lowe, the lead singer and founding member of the influential psychedelic rock band The Electric Prunes, died May 22 at age 82 from natural causes. His family announced his passing on the band’s social media pages, stating he died peacefully surrounded by family and music.
Born March 5, 1943, in San Luis Obispo, California, Lowe grew up in Los Angeles and spent time in Hawaii as a teenager. He formed The Electric Prunes in 1965 from an earlier garage band called The Sanctions, alongside bassist Mark Tulin, guitarist Ken Williams, and drummer Michael Weakley.
The band’s breakthrough came with their 1966 single “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night),” which reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their follow-up single “Get Me to the World on Time” peaked at No. 27, while their self-titled debut album climbed to No. 113 on the Billboard 200 chart. These songs were primarily written by the female songwriting team of Annette Tucker and Nancie Mantz.
The band’s name originated from a joke, as Lowe recalled someone asking what’s purple and goes buzz buzz, with the answer being an electric prune. When their manager Dave Hassinger suggested changing their name from Jim and the Lords, Lowe proposed The Electric Prunes as a joke, but Warner Bros. Records embraced it.
The Electric Prunes became pioneers in the psychedelic rock movement, utilizing innovative techniques including backwards guitars, fuzz guitar effects, and wah-wah pedals. The Fox wah-wah pedal manufacturers actually used the band in their advertising campaigns during the late 1960s. Their experimental approach helped define the psychedelic sound that influenced countless musicians.
The band released two albums with the original lineup: their self-titled debut in 1967 and “Underground” later that same year. Producer Dave Hassinger then pitched the concept of a psychedelic album incorporating Gregorian music, resulting in 1968’s “Mass in F Minor,” composed by David Axelrod. One track from this album, “Kyrie Eleison,” gained renewed attention when it was featured in the 1969 cult film “Easy Rider.”
Frustrated with the band’s financial difficulties and creative direction, Lowe left The Electric Prunes in early 1968 following the release of “Underground.” The remaining original members followed suit several months later, with Hassinger retaining the rights to the band name and continuing with new lineups until 1970.
After departing the music scene, Lowe transitioned to working behind the recording console as an engineer and producer. He contributed to significant projects including all three albums by Todd Rundgren’s band Nazz and the first two albums by Sparks, initially known as Halfnelson. When these projects proved commercially unsuccessful, Lowe left the music industry entirely in the early 1970s to pursue a career in television production and industrial filmmaking.
The Electric Prunes’ legacy was cemented when “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)” became the opening track on the influential 1972 compilation “Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968,” assembled by future Patti Smith Group guitarist Lenny Kaye. This compilation introduced the band to new generations of fans and helped establish their place in rock history.
After 25 years away from music, renewed interest in The Electric Prunes inspired Lowe to reunite with his original bandmates in the late 1990s. The reformed group released their comeback album “Artifact” in 2001, followed by three additional studio albums: “California” (2004), “Feedback” (2006), and “WaS” (2014). They continued performing live until Lowe’s death.
The band’s influence extended beyond their original era, with tracks from “Mass in F Minor” later sampled by hip-hop producers including MF Doom and Madlib. Their innovative use of electronic effects and psychedelic soundscapes helped bridge garage rock and the emerging psychedelic movement of the mid-1960s.
Lowe’s family described him as “an elder statesman of rock ‘n’ roll — not just a witness to music history, but one of its architects.” He is survived by his wife Pamela, his guiding star and muse of 62 years, along with his children Lisa, Cameron, and Skylar, and grandchildren. At the time of his death, Lowe was the last surviving original member of The Electric Prunes.
