Wednesday, December 26, 2012

R.I.P. LEE DORMAN


Iron Butterfly bassist Lee Dorman has died at age 70 in Laguna Niguel, California, leaving fans to mourn the death of a musician whose psychedelic rock band made "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" one of the most iconic anthems in history.

Lee Dorman's cause of death is believed to be from natural causes, according to the Orange County Coroner's Office, as the rock star had a history of heart problems.

OC Sheriff deputies say Lee Dorman was found dead in his car without any evident signs of foul play, nor were any drugs or paraphernalia found, reportedly.

Douglas Lee Dorman was born on September 15, 1942 in St. Louis, Missouri, and moved to Southern California in the 1960s to make it in the music business.

In 1967, Lee Dorman joined the acid rock band Iron Butterfly in Los Angeles and recorded the band's megahit album, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, which has sold a staggering 31 million copies and counting.

The album is historically significant as the very first album ever to be awarded Platinum status.

The epic 17-minute title track, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," is one of the most recognizable musical anthems in history.

The song would not have been as successful without Lee Dorman's hypnotic, iconic bass line by which the song is immediately recognized.  That is a rare status for a bass player to hold, as most musicians know.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sad news. Just after Ed Cassidy passed away too. There must be quit a band out there in the afterlife/heaven, or whatever. I saw the Iron Butterfly once on the In-A-Gadda tour with a very early version of Chicago as openers! Their guitarist, Erik Braun had the same birthday as I do for what it's worth.[same year, too].

Anonymous said...

Sad to hear of the passing of Lee Dorman, Iron Butterfly are one of my favourite US bands & i believe they greatly (along with blue cheer) influenced British heavy rock, & who can forget the scene in the film Manhunter a great film made more memorable by, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, one of my all time favs, RIP Lee,
I am going to listen to a live 18 min version in memory
And Thank You for the music

psychedelic48

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