Arthur Conley
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox musical artist
Arthur Lee Conley (January 4, 1946 – November 17, 2003), also known in later years as Lee Roberts, was an American soul singer, best known for the 1967 hit "Sweet Soul Music".<ref name=pc51>Template:Gilliland</ref>
Early life
Conley was born in McIntosh County, Georgia, U.S., and grew up in Atlanta. He first recorded in 1959 as the lead singer of Arthur & the Corvets. With this group, he released three singles in 1963 and 1964—"Poor Girl", "I Believe", and "Flossie Mae"—on the Atlanta-based record label, NRC Records.<ref name="Larkin"/>
Biography and career
In 1964, he moved to a new label (Baltimore's Ru-Jac Records) and released "I'm a Lonely Stranger". When Otis Redding heard this, he asked Conley to record a new version, which was released on Redding's own fledgling label Jotis Records, as only its second release.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Conley met Redding in 1967. Together they rewrote the Sam Cooke song "Yeah Man" into "Sweet Soul Music", which, at Redding's insistence, was released on the Atco-distributed label Fame Records, and was recorded at FAME studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It proved to be a massive hit, going to the number two position on the U.S. chart and the Top Ten across much of Europe. "Sweet Soul Music" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">Template:Cite book</ref>
After several years of hit singles in the early 1970s, he relocated to England in 1975, and spent several years in Belgium, settling in Amsterdam (Netherlands) in spring 1977. At the beginning of 1980 he had some major performances as Lee Roberts and the Sweaters in the Ganzenhoef, Paradiso, De Melkweg and the Concertgebouw, and was successful. At the end of 1980 he moved to the Dutch town of Ruurlo, legally changing his name to Lee Roberts—his middle name and his mother's maiden name. He promoted new music via his Art-Con Productions company. Among the bands he promoted was the heavy metal band, Shockwave, from The Hague. A live performance on January 8, 1980, featuring Lee Roberts & the Sweaters, was released as an album entitled Soulin in 1988.<ref name="Larkin">Template:Cite book</ref>
Personal life
Conley was gay, and several music writers have said that his homosexuality was a bar to greater success in the United States, and one of the reasons behind his move to Europe and his eventual name change.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2014, rock historian Ed Ward wrote, "[Conley] headed to Amsterdam and changed his name to Lee Roberts. Nobody knew 'Lee Roberts,' and at last Conley was able to live in peace with a secret he had hidden—or thought he had—for his entire career: he was gay. But nobody in The Netherlands cared".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Death
Conley died at the age of 57 from intestinal cancer in Ruurlo, Netherlands in November 2003.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was buried in Vorden.
Discography
Albums
Conley released the following albums:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US 200 <ref name="Whitburn">Template:Cite book</ref> |
US CB <ref name=":322">Template:Cite book</ref> | ||
| 1967 | "Sweet Soul Music" | 93 | 65 |
| "Soul Directions" | 193 | — | |
| 1968 | "Shake, Rattle & Roll" | 185 | — |
| 1969 | "More Sweet Soul" | — | — |
Singles
| Year | Titles (A-side, B-side) | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US <ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> |
US R&B <ref name="BillboardConley">Template:Cite web</ref> |
CB <ref name=":02222">Template:Cite book</ref> |
UK <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
CA | ||
| 1963 | "I Believe" (as Arthur & the Corvets) |
— | — | — | — | — |
| "Flossie Mae" (as Arthur & the Corvets) |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| "Poor Girl" (as Arthur & the Corvets) |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| 1965 | "Where He Leads Me" b/w "I'm A Lonely Stranger" |
— | — | — | — | — |
| 1966 | "Who's Fooling Who" b/w "There's A Place For Us" |
— | — | — | — | — |
| "I Can't Stop (No, No, No)" b/w "In The Same Old Way" |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| "I'm Gonna Forget About You" b/w "Take Me (Just As I Am)" |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| 1967 | "Sweet Soul Music" b/w "Let's Go Steady" |
2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 5 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| "Shake, Rattle & Roll" b/w "You Don't Have To See Me" |
31 | 20 | 47 | — | 39 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| "Whole Lotta Woman" b/w "Love Comes And Goe" |
73 | — | 92 | — | 76 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" b/w "Keep On Talking" |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| 1968 | "Funky Street" b/w "Put Our Love Together" |
14 | 5 | 19 | 46 | 18 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| "Aunt Dora's Love Soul Shack" b/w "Is That You Love" |
85 | 41 | 75 | — | — | |
| "People Sure Act Funny" b/w "Burning Fire" |
58 | 17 | 41 | — | 39 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" b/w "Otis Sleep On" |
51 | 41 | 74 | — | 50 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 1969 | "Star Review" b/w "Is That You Love" (with Tom Dowd) |
— | — | — | — | — |
| "They Call the Wind Maria" b/w "Hurt" |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| "Run On" b/w "Speak Her Name" |
115 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Day-O" b/w "Nobody's Fault But Mine" |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| 1970 | "God Bless" b/w "(Your Love Has Brought Me) A Mighty Long Way" |
107 | 33 | 91 | — | 84 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| "All Day Singing"Template:Efn b/w "God Bless" |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| 1971 | "I'm Living Good" b/w "I'm So Glad You're Here" |
— | — | — | — | — |
| 1972 | "Rita" b/w "More Sweet Soul Music" |
— | — | — | — | — |
| "Walking on Eggs" b/w "More Sweet Soul Music" |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| 1974 | "It's So Nice (When It's Someone Else's Wife)" b/w "Bless You" |
— | — | — | — | — |
| 1976 | "I Got You Babe" b/w "Another Time" |
— | — | — | — | — |
References
External links
- Memorial website (in Dutch) Photos from Arthur's last live performance, June 9, 2002, in Netherlands.
- Arthur Conley Sweet Soul Music Home Page w/ CD Liner Notes, Discography and Latest Releases
- Yoni's Home of Soul Music page on Conley, w/ info about unreleased tracks
- Template:Find a Grave
- Otis Redding's biography contains history of Jotis Records
- Answers.com article on Arthur Conley
- Arthur Conley Dies
- 1946 births
- 2003 deaths
- 20th-century African-American male singers
- 20th-century American LGBTQ people
- 20th-century American male singers
- 20th-century American singers
- 21st-century American LGBTQ people
- African-American LGBTQ people
- American expatriates in Belgium
- American expatriates in England
- American expatriates in the Netherlands
- American gay musicians
- American LGBTQ singers
- American soul musicians
- Atco Records artists
- Atlantic Records artists
- Deaths from colorectal cancer in the Netherlands
- LGBTQ people from Georgia (U.S. state)
- People from McIntosh County, Georgia
- Singers from Atlanta