Emitt Rhodes Dead at 70
The singer-songwriter released four albums in the 1970s and returned with new music four decades later
Emitt Rhodes, February 2016 (Timothy Norris/Getty Images)
Singer-songwriter Emitt Rhodes, who helped pioneer power pop with a series of beloved solo albums in the 1970s, has died. Rhodes' collaborator Chris Price and his representative confirmed to Pitchfork that Rhodes died in his sleep. He was 70.
Rhodes was born in Decatur, Illinois. He played in multiple bands, including the 1960s garage rock band the Palace Guard. Their 1967 song "Falling Sugar" appears on the Nuggets compilation. He went on to join the psychedelic rock group the Merry-Go-Round, who were signed to A&M Records and released one self-titled album in 1967.
After the Merry-Go-Round disbanded, Rhodes pursued a career as a solo musician. A&M released one album featuring Rhodes' early solo masters called The American Dream in 1970. His first proper solo album, which he recorded and mixed entirely on his own, was 1970's Emitt Rhodes. "When I recorded Emitt Rhodes, I was basically investing in myself," Rhodes told Paul Myers in 2015 for Mojo Magazine. "That was kinda how I saw it. I spent any money that I made from making the records with the record company to buy the equipment that I used to make my own records."
ABC/Dunhill released 1971's Mirror and 1973's Farewell to Paradise, and then the label sued Rhodes for not fulfilling his contractual obligation to record two albums each year. "It was a Herculean task and it was impossible for me to do," he told Myers. As a result, he walked away from his career as a recording artist. "There were lawsuits and lawyers and I wasn't having any fun anymore," Rhodes explained in a 2001 interview with Steven Hyden. "That's it. Simple as that. I worked really hard and there was no reward."
After years working behind-the-scenes as a producer and engineer, he returned to recording his own music with a new album called Rainbow Ends in 2016. It was a collaboration with Chris Price, who at 21 years old met Rhodes by showing up to his house unannounced. The album featured musicians who admired his earlier records, including Aimee Mann, Jon Brion, the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs, Nels Cline, and Richard Thompson.
His albums and self-recording methods have been cited as influential by many musicians. Mac DeMarco cited Rhodes as an influence on the Salad Days sessions. "Rest in peace Emitt, thanks for all the music, love to your family, god bless ya," DeMarco wrote. Sadie Dupuis tweeted that she was inspired to start both Speedy Ortiz and Sad13 because of Rhodes' home studio work.
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