Carolyn Lee
The Music Emporium
Biography by Richie Unterberger
The Music Emporium were a little-known Southern Californian psychedelic band of the late '60s, somewhat unusual in that they featured a four-member lineup evenly split between men and women; Dora Wahl…
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Artist Biography by Richie Unterberger
The Music Emporium were a little-known Southern Californian psychedelic band of the late '60s, somewhat unusual in that they featured a four-member lineup evenly split between men and women; Dora Wahl was one of the few female rock drummers of the time. In most other respects, they were a more or less typical psychedelic act. Carolyn Lee's vocals sometimes bring to mind the United States of America or (more distantly) Jefferson Airplane; some of the tunes have a nice gothic/classical touch, and the lyrics are excessively cosmic (principal songwriter and organist Casey Cosby is the chief culprit). Their self-titled album is highly valued by some psychedelic collectors.
The Music Emporium formed in 1968 as the Cage, led by UCLA music major Cosby, and including a couple of music students from Long Beach State. They changed their name to the Music Emporium when they recorded their album, which was originally intended as a demo tape. However, the small Sentinel label put out the tape as an official LP release, in a die-cut album sleeve. Only 300 copies were pressed, and re-releases of the record are much easier to find than originals; the Sundazed CD reissue in 2001 is preferable, as it's taken from the master tape, includes historical liner notes, and adds five bonus tracks (albeit instrumental versions of five songs from the LP). The group broke up in 1970 when Cosby was drafted.