James Lowe, the founding lead singer of the 1960s psychedelic rock band The Electric Prunes, died May 22 at age 82, his family announced. The musician passed away from natural causes, surrounded by family and music at his home.
Lowe fronted The Electric Prunes during their late 1960s heyday, when the Los Angeles-based band achieved mainstream success with their psychedelic garage rock sound. Their biggest hit, “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night),” reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1967, while their follow-up single “Get Me to the World on Time” peaked at No. 27.
The band’s self-titled debut album climbed to No. 113 on the Billboard chart, though its commercial performance understated the lasting influence of their signature sound. “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.
Lowe’s children, Lisa, Cameron and Skylar, described their father as having “one final electric beat” in a statement posted on the band’s social media pages. They indicated he was a creative force and rock star without pretense who lived and loved fully, emphasizing that the most important element of his life was his 62-year marriage to his wife Pamela, whom they called his guiding star and enduring muse.
The oldest of nine children, Lowe grew up in southern California and came of age musically under the influence of surf guitarist Dick Dale, whom he frequently saw perform at Newport Beach’s Rendezvous Ballroom. In 1965, he and several Taft High School students formed a band called The Sanctions, which was discovered by record producer and engineer David Hassinger, known for engineering the Rolling Stones’ mid-1960s records.
Hassinger became their manager and helped secure a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records’ Reprise imprint. Upon signing, the group briefly performed under the name Jim and the Lords before adopting The Electric Prunes moniker, which originated from a joke similar to the one that inspired the band name Moby Grape.
The band’s unique sound incorporated backwards guitars, fuzz guitar effects and early use of the wah-wah pedal, with the Fox wah-wah pedal manufacturers actually using The Electric Prunes in their advertising campaigns during the late 1960s. Their experimental approach to recording set them apart in the psychedelic movement, with Lowe’s natural engineering abilities contributing to their distinctive sound.
“I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)” was written by the female songwriting team of Annette Tucker and Nancie Mantz rather than the band members themselves. Lowe recalled that Tucker provided them with a demo that resembled a country-western ballad, which the band transformed through their own experimental arrangement and studio techniques.
The original Electric Prunes released five albums before breaking up in 1970, though Lowe departed the group in 1968. Following the band’s dissolution, he transitioned to working as a recording engineer and producer, collaborating with artists including Todd Rundgren’s band Nazz and the duo Sparks on their 1972 album “A Woofer in Tweeter’s Clothing.”
Lowe left the music industry entirely in the early 1970s and found a second career in industrial filmmaking, spending approximately 25 years away from music. However, renewed interest in The Electric Prunes during the 1990s, spurred by Warner Bros. Records A&R executive David Katznelson’s compilation release, led to an unexpected reunion.
The reformed Electric Prunes, featuring Lowe alongside original members Mark Tulin on bass and Ken Williams on guitar, plus drummer Michael Weakley, released their reunion album “Artifact” in 2001. The group continued recording and performing through 2014’s “WaS” album, with Lowe maintaining control of the band through various lineup changes.
In recent years, Lowe embraced growing nostalgia for his band’s music, performing at a “Nuggets” tribute show in Los Angeles in 2023 and giving retrospective interviews for rock podcasts. He continued performing with The Electric Prunes through the end of his life, maintaining an active connection to the psychedelic rock community that celebrated his band’s pioneering contributions to the genre.
Lowe is survived by his wife Pamela and children Lisa, Cameron and Skylar.