Lowell George with Little Feat, Buffalo, New York, 1 May 1977. Photo: Jean-Luc, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Lowell George died on 29 June 1979. He was 34, two weeks into his first solo tour, and the night before he’d played a show in Washington. If that’s all you came for, there it is.
The rest of the story is worth ten minutes though. Ask a guitarist about Little Feat and you’ll usually get a story about Lowell. He wrote the songs, sang most of them and played slide guitar like nobody else in the seventies.
How Lowell George died
The tour was for his solo album Thanks, I’ll eat it here, which came out in 1979. It’s a loose, lovely record with Bonnie Raitt, Nicky Hopkins and Jim Keltner among the players, and songs like ‘What do you want the girl to do’, ‘I can’t stand the rain’ and the ballad ’20 million things’. Fred Tackett, who’d later join Little Feat, played on the album and the tour. The shows kicked off on 15 June, according to Rock and Roll Globe.
On 28 June 1979 he played Lisner Auditorium in Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia), the same hall where Little Feat had recorded part of Waiting for Columbus two years earlier.
The next morning, the Washington Post reported, he had chest pains at the Twin Bridges Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. He was pronounced dead at Arlington Hospital at 1 pm. The autopsy found a heart attack. His biography says the heart attack was brought on by an accidental heroin overdose, and Best Classic Bands also points to his weight. One fan at that last Washington show remembered him looking tired and overweight, but sounding great.
He was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the Pacific from his fishing boat. On 4 August 1979 a benefit concert for his family brought out Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne and Little Feat themselves. Lowell has his place in our Rock n Roll Heaven.
An LA kid on the Amateur Hour
Lowell was born in Los Angeles on 13 April 1945. At six he was on Ted Mack’s Original amateur hour, performing a duet with his older brother Hampton. At Hollywood High he became mates with Paul Barrere, who’d join Little Feat years later.
His first band, The Factory, got going in 1965 and put out at least one single on Uni Records. After that came a short stint with The Standells, and in November 1968 he joined Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention. He was gone by May 1969.
‘Willin” and the Zappa split
That’s where ‘Willin” comes in, Lowell’s truckie song that ended up a roots-rock standard. How he left the Mothers depends who you ask. At a 1975 Little Feat show he told the crowd he was fired because he “wrote a song about dope”. Other times he said it was agreed he should leave and start his own band. Biographer Mark Brend reckons Zappa liked the song but had no spot for it in the set. Whatever happened, Zappa helped get Little Feat signed to Warner Bros.
The band formed in Los Angeles in 1969 with Bill Payne on keyboards, fellow Mother Roy Estrada on bass and Richie Hayward on drums. The name came from Mothers drummer Jimmy Carl Black making a crack about Lowell’s little feet, spelt the Beatles way.
Little Feat cut the definitive ‘Willin” on Sailin’ shoes in 1972. Linda Ronstadt recorded it on Heart like a wheel in 1974, and that’s how a lot of people first heard it.
The spark plug socket slide
Lowell’s slide playing had a smooth, singing quality that other players still chase. Part of the secret was what he played it with. He didn’t use a glass bottleneck. He used the casing of a Sears Craftsman 13/16-inch spark plug socket that a friend had given him. Listen to ‘Dixie chicken’ or the live ‘Willin” on Waiting for Columbus and you’ll hear it.
Dixie chicken (1973) was where the classic six-piece came together, with Paul Barrere, Kenny Gradney and Sam Clayton joining and the band leaning into New Orleans rhythms. It eventually went gold in 1989. Waiting for Columbus, recorded live in August 1977 in London and Washington, went platinum the same year. Lowell also worked the desk for other people, producing the Grateful Dead’s Shakedown street in 1978.
After Lowell
The band finished Down on the farm, which came out late in 1979, and then called it a day. They re-formed in 1987 with Craig Fuller and Fred Tackett and have kept at it since.
Lowell married Elizabeth Levy in 1976. His children are Forrest, Luke and Inara, and Inara George, born in July 1974, went on to sing with The Bird and the Bee.
If you like bands that deserved more than they got, try our list of forgotten 70s bands. Want a Little Feat clip on the show? Request a song.
Did you ever see Little Feat with Lowell out front? We’d like to hear about it in the comments.
Frequently asked questions
When did Lowell George die?
On 29 June 1979, aged 34. The night before, he’d played Lisner Auditorium in Washington, D.C. on the tour for his solo album Thanks, I’ll eat it here. He fell ill at the Twin Bridges Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, and was pronounced dead at Arlington Hospital.
What was Lowell George’s cause of death?
An autopsy found he died of a heart attack. His Wikipedia biography says the heart attack was caused by an accidental heroin overdose, and other accounts also point to his weight. He was only two weeks into his first solo tour.
Who was Lowell George’s wife?
He married Elizabeth Levy in 1976 and they were still married when he died. He’d been married before, to Pattie Price. His children are Forrest, Luke and Inara George.
Did Frank Zappa fire Lowell George over ‘Willin”?
It depends who’s telling it. Lowell told a 1975 Little Feat audience he was fired for writing a song about dope. At other times he said leaving to form his own band was a joint decision, and biographer Mark Brend says Zappa liked the song but had no place for it.
What did Lowell George use as a guitar slide?
The casing of a Sears Craftsman 13/16-inch spark plug socket, given to him by a friend. It’s a big part of why his slide tone sounded so smooth and vocal.
How did Little Feat get their name?
Mothers of Invention drummer Jimmy Carl Black made a comment about Lowell’s little feet. The band took it and spelt it Feat, a nod to the way The Beatles bent their own name.
What was Lowell George’s role in Little Feat?
He founded the band in Los Angeles in 1969 with Bill Payne, Roy Estrada and Richie Hayward, and he was their main singer, slide guitarist and songwriter. His songs include ‘Willin”, ‘Dixie chicken’ and ‘Rock and roll doctor’.
What happened to Little Feat after Lowell George died?
The band finished Down on the farm, released in late 1979, then broke up. They re-formed in 1987 with Craig Fuller and Fred Tackett joining the surviving members, and have kept recording and touring since.
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Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational and entertainment purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, music history is often based on available documentation and interpretation.
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