Lee Fields
Lee Fields Bio
The King of Contemporary Funk is back with a new, edgy dance sounds.
Renowned throughout the global funk community, Lee Fields has poured grunts and screams over dozens of funk and soul hits since the early 1970s. Some of his best known hits include such 45 rpm classics as She’s A Lovemaker, The Bull Is Coming and The Funky Screw, as well as his much sought after Let’s Talk It Over LP which draws four digit bids from collectors worldwide. More recently, his recordings with the hard funk purists at Desco and Daptone Records have cemented his reputation as the King Of Contemporary Funk Music.
Lee was born one of four children in the small town of Wilson, North Carolina. He spent his adolescence singing in church and listening to rhythm and blues artists such as James Brown, The Temptations, Eddie Floyd, Otis Redding and a host of other Memphis sounds. He joined a few racial balance groups in the South and began playing college circuits that visited East Carolina University, Duke University and Georgia Tech.
By the late 1960s Lee had begun working with bands like Kool & The Gang, Sammy Gordon, the Hip-Huggers and Little Royal; groups which would soon lay the foundations of funk music. He worked his show throughout the South’s Blues circuit, chilling grown women’s spines with his moans of intimacy and making many nostalgic for the days of soul when people like Otis Redding, Dyke and the Blazers left microphones rusting with sweat and tears.
Throughout his distinguished career, Lee has worked with numerous legendary artists such as B.B. King, Clarence Carter, Dr. John, Tyrone Davis, Johnny Taylor, Denise LaSalle, Bobby Blue Bland, Betty Wright, The Manhattans, Little Milton and Bobby Womack.
Lee’s explosive live performances fronting The Soul Providers and The Dap-Kings as part of the Desco Soul Revue have kept him well-and-truly on top of the funk pile. 2000 saw Lee & The Explorers release I’m The Man/Your Love (Is Something I Need) on Soul Fire. In 2001 he released Give Me A Chance alongside The Dap-Kings. Most recently, he has sung with Sugarman & Co in the Daptone Funk & Soul Revue; the collective released Shot Down/Honey Wagon on Daptone in 2002 and followed it up with You Don’t Know What You Mean/Could Have Been in 2004. Lee also released his Problems LP on Soul Fire in 2002. Early 2005 saw his vocal effort on Stranded In Your Love included on Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings’ Naturally LP.
In the dance realm, Lee has contributed vocals to a host of projects including several for French DJ producer Martin Solveig. Jealousy, Everybody and Martin’s 2004 international hit I’m A Good Man all featured Lee’s outstanding voice, and all three tracks were licensed to several compilations including Bob Sinclar’s In The House and Most Rated 2005, both of which were released on Defected.
With his unique and timeless vocals, excruciatingly perfect talents and continuous creativity, the King of Contemporary Funk will always be at the forefront of the music industry.
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