Les Emmerson — the Canadian musician known best as the vocalist and guitarist of Ottawa's Five Man Electrical Band — has died. Emmerson passed away Friday (December 10) of complications from COVID-19, which he contracted in November. He was 77.
Five Man Electrical Band are best recognized for their '70s single "Signs," which Emmerson wrote and composed. He wrote the song, which was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008, after a road trip on Route 66 in California, which led him to notice how advertisements and billboards along the roadside blocked all views of the scenery.
Emmerson's lyrics concern themselves with different kinds of "Signs": an employment notice with the caveat that "long-haired freaky people need not apply," a "no trespassing" warning about being shot on sight, and sign inviting people to worship at a church among them.
Following its initial 1970 release as a B-side, the 1971 re-release of "Signs" powered it No. 4 in Canada and No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1990, American rockers Tesla covered "Signs" on their live album Five Man Acoustical Jam, while Fatboy Slim sampled the song on his Palookaville opener "Don't Let the Man Get You Down" in 2004.
Born and raised in Ottawa, Emmerson joined Five Man Electrical Band in the mid-'60s, when the outfit was known as the Staccatos. Success in Canada led to the group delivering debut album Initially via Capitol Records in 1966, ahead of delivering split album A Wild Pair with a fledgling Guess Who in 1968.
The group would change their name to Five Man Electrical Band in the late '60s, delivering their self-titled debut in 1969. Sophomore LP Good-Byes & Butterflies, which featured "Signs," arrived in 1970, and was followed by 1971's Coming of Age.
In addition to "Signs," Emmerson also penned charting singles including "Absolutely Right," "Money Back Guarantee," "Werewolf" and "I'm a Stranger Here." He also released a series of solo singles, which were collected for The Sound City Sessions in 2007.
Five Man Electrical Band are best recognized for their '70s single "Signs," which Emmerson wrote and composed. He wrote the song, which was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008, after a road trip on Route 66 in California, which led him to notice how advertisements and billboards along the roadside blocked all views of the scenery.
Emmerson's lyrics concern themselves with different kinds of "Signs": an employment notice with the caveat that "long-haired freaky people need not apply," a "no trespassing" warning about being shot on sight, and sign inviting people to worship at a church among them.
Following its initial 1970 release as a B-side, the 1971 re-release of "Signs" powered it No. 4 in Canada and No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1990, American rockers Tesla covered "Signs" on their live album Five Man Acoustical Jam, while Fatboy Slim sampled the song on his Palookaville opener "Don't Let the Man Get You Down" in 2004.
Born and raised in Ottawa, Emmerson joined Five Man Electrical Band in the mid-'60s, when the outfit was known as the Staccatos. Success in Canada led to the group delivering debut album Initially via Capitol Records in 1966, ahead of delivering split album A Wild Pair with a fledgling Guess Who in 1968.
The group would change their name to Five Man Electrical Band in the late '60s, delivering their self-titled debut in 1969. Sophomore LP Good-Byes & Butterflies, which featured "Signs," arrived in 1970, and was followed by 1971's Coming of Age.
In addition to "Signs," Emmerson also penned charting singles including "Absolutely Right," "Money Back Guarantee," "Werewolf" and "I'm a Stranger Here." He also released a series of solo singles, which were collected for The Sound City Sessions in 2007.
