Emitt started out most notably as the drummer for The Merry Go Round - one of those label assembled American “Beatle” bands in the mid sixties. His good looks and songwriting/vocal talents soon moved him upfront and a solo career was started. The music scene was in flux and he decided to go out and record on his own playing all the instruments and singing all the vocals (a la McCartney). The album was released, started to get traction, and then because of label politics and several miscues dropped out of sight. A few more, less notable albums followed suit and eventually he left the scene and suffered several personal and legal issues - leaving him bitter and reclusive. He popped up every now and then, at local festivals and continued to work as a local producer and recording engineer. As a hero to the power pop scene, his fans included The Bangles and Jellyfish. Around 2007, an Italian fan who had just discovered his music set out to the U.S. to meet his hero and filmed a documentary, “One Man Beatles” Soon afterwards, renewed interest and encouragement from his fans got him back, however reluctantly, into the studio for what would be his swan song, “Rainbow Ends” with contributions from Roger Manning Jr & Jason Faulkner (Jellyfish), Susannah Hoffs (The Bangles), Aimee Mann, Jon Brion, and members of Brian Wilson’s touring band. If you’re a fan of this style of what I would refer to as Power Pop, his catalog is essential and certainly worth checking out. His eponymous album “Emitt Rhodes” easily qualifies as a lost classic.
Here’s a little time capsule - the original, then the live version from the TV show The Hollywood Palace (w/guest host Don Knotts
) and finally the Bangles version from their debut album
Thanks for sharing, Dr! I will definitely be checking his music out.
