James Lowe, the lead singer and founding member of the influential 1960s psychedelic rock band the Electric Prunes, died May 22 at age 82 from natural causes. His family announced his passing on social media, stating he died peacefully surrounded by family and music.
Born March 5, 1943, in San Luis Obispo, California, Lowe formed the Electric Prunes in 1965 with bassist Mark Tulin, guitarist Ken Williams, and drummer Michael Weakley. The band evolved from an earlier garage group called the Sanctions, which Lowe had formed with fellow Taft High School students.
The band achieved mainstream success 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, marking their last Top 40 hit. Most of their successful songs were written by the female songwriting team of Annette Tucker and Nancie Mantz.
The Electric Prunes’ name originated from a joke similar to one that inspired the band Moby Grape. According to Lowe’s recollection, someone asked what was purple and goes buzz buzz, with the answer being an electric prune. Despite initial reluctance from band members, producer and engineer Dave Hassinger took the name to Warner Bros. Records, who embraced it.
Hassinger had discovered the band while they were still known as the Sanctions and helped secure their contract with Reprise Records, a Warner Bros. imprint. The producer had previously worked as an engineer on Rolling Stones recordings in the mid-1960s.
The band’s experimental sound incorporated backwards guitars, fuzz guitar effects, and wah-wah pedals, placing them at the forefront of psychedelic music development. The Fox wah-wah pedal manufacturers actually used the Electric Prunes in their advertising during the late 1960s to promote their product.
The Electric Prunes released their self-titled debut album in 1967, which reached No. 113 on the Billboard chart, followed by “Underground” the same year. Their most ambitious project came with 1968’s “Mass in F Minor,” a collaboration with composer and producer David Axelrod that combined psychedelic pop with Gregorian music. One track from this album, “Kyrie Eleison,” gained later recognition when it was featured in the 1969 film “Easy Rider.”
Frustrated with the band’s financial difficulties and musical direction, Lowe left the Electric Prunes in early 1968, along with drummer Weakley. Tulin and Williams departed several months later. Hassinger, who owned the rights to the band name, continued the Electric Prunes with new lineups until 1970.
Following his departure from the band, Lowe transitioned to work 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 Sparks’ second album also proved unsuccessful commercially, Lowe left the music industry in the early 1970s to pursue television and industrial film production.
The Electric Prunes’ influence extended far beyond their brief commercial success. Their biggest hit became the opening track on the 1972 compilation “Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era,” assembled by future Patti Smith Group guitarist Lenny Kaye. This compilation became a cult favorite and introduced the band to new generations of musicians and fans.
Hip-hop producers later discovered the band’s experimental work, with artists like MF Doom and Madlib sampling tracks from “Mass in F Minor” in their compositions. This cross-generational appeal demonstrated the lasting impact of the band’s innovative sound.
After nearly three decades away from music, Lowe reunited with original members Tulin, Williams, and Weakley in 1999 to record new material and perform live. Their comeback album “Artifact” was released in 2001, followed by “California” in 2004, “Feedback” in 2006, and “WaS” in 2014.
The reunited band continued performing until Lowe’s death, with him being the last surviving original member following Tulin’s death in 2011. Lowe had embraced the renewed interest in the Electric Prunes, performing at tribute shows including a 2023 “Nuggets” celebration in Los Angeles.
His family described him as leaving behind “a legacy of sound, love, and boundless creativity,” emphasizing his 62-year marriage to wife Pamela. Lenny Kaye paid tribute on social media, writing: “Rest in Dreaming James Lowe.”