Love with Johnny Echols set for July date at The Apex

Love with Johnny Echols (pictured above) sees Arthur Lee’s longest-serving band performing classic songs from the band’s albums “Love”, “Da Capo”, “Four Sail” and the timeless “Forever Changes” when they appear at The Apex, in Bury St Edmunds, next month.

The band is Baby Lemonade, who performed as Arthur’s outfit from 1993 until his death in 2006.

The most stable line-up of Love in the band’s history, Baby Lemonade became an essential part of the renaissance of Love’s music with many sold-out tours, as well as back-to-back Glastonbury performances and an appearance on “Later with Jools Holland”.

Love, which consists of Echols, on guitar and vocals; Rusty Squeezebox, lead vocals and guitar; Mike Randle, guitar and vocals; David “Daddyo” Green on drums; and James Nolte, bass; return to the UK in summer 2024, and Echols says: “I so look forward to our trips across the pond and performing Love’s extraordinary music for our friends in the UK. We will, of course, be performing much of ‘Forever Changes’, as well as favourites from our extensive catalogue … as well as a few surprises.”

Echols and Lee were childhood friends whose families both moved from Memphis to Los Angeles.

The teenagers teamed up in several bands before they formed Love in 1965, playing an eclectic mix of garage, folk-rock and psychedelia.

Best known for their songs “7 and 7 Is” and “Alone Again Or”, the classic Love line up featuring Echols disbanded in 1968.

Lee was largely inactive in the 1980s and only made a few sporadic onstage appearances guesting with other bands.

He re-emerged in 1992 with a new album entitled “Five String Serenade” and returned to semi-regular performing.

Baby Lemonade formed in 1992 by Squeezebox, Randle and Green. In 1993 the band landed the gig of a lifetime opening up for Love – causing Lee to replace his existing band with the four Baby Lemonade members!

Upon their return from a tour of Europe, in 1996, the band were shocked to find that Lee had been sentenced to 12 years in prison on a weapons charge.

After nearly six years in prison, his case was overturned and shortly after, at his request, Baby Lemonade began rehearsing for what would be non-stop Love touring throughout North America, UK, Europe and Australia between 2002 and 2005 where they enjoyed unprecedented success, with sold out gigs, including two sold out shows at the Royal Festival Hall, a live album, and an appearance on Jools Holland’s TV Show.

Echols joined Lee’s latest group for a special “Forever Changes” 35th anniversary performance in the spring of 2003 and again for the tours in 2004 and 2005.

In July of 2005, Lee was diagnosed with leukaemia and passed away one year later.

Hiss last show was with Baby Lemonade and Echols at San Francisco’s Cafe Du Nord in 2006.

Since then, the Love band members, with Echols, performed regularly on the West Coast, returning to the UK for the first time in 2016, and have slowly built up an impressive following.

Love with Johnny Echols is at The Apex on Wednesday, July 10, at 7.30pm.

See www.theapex.co.uk or ring 01284 758000 for tickets. Or visit The Apex box office in Charter Square Bury St Edmunds.