From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Mon Oct 28, 2002  1:16 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Curtis Lee
 
CURTIS LEE

Born 28 October 1941, Yuma, Arizona

Curtis Lee is best remembered for his two Phil Spector-produced hits from
1961. Prior to that, he cut three songs for small labels while he was still
in his teens. Easily the best and also the best known of these is the very
Ricky Nelson-ish "Pure Love" on the Warrior label (Top Rank in the UK and
Holland), which was co-written by Johnny Burnette and also recorded by
Sonny James (1959). Lee was heard by Ray Peterson ("Tell Laura I Love
Her"), who'd just started a label of his own, Dunes, and invited Lee to cut
a demo. By the time he made it to New York in late 1960, he had started
writing songs in partnership with a friend, Tommy Boyce, who later would
become one half of the Tommy Boyce / Bobby Hart songwriting-producing-
singing duo. Lee's first two Dunes singles, "Special Love" and "Then I'll Know"
were passionate but otherwise unexceptional performances that failed to chart,
but for his third record, Dunes agreed to cut a Lee-Boyce original called
"Pretty Little Angel Eyes". Phil Spector, who had previously produced a hit
for Peterson ("Corinna, Corinna"), ran the session, and laid the orchestra and
especially the chorus on very heavily, the latter deliberately working in a late
1950's doo-wop style. The backing vocals came from a group called the Halos,
who had their own hit ("Nag") around this time. The resulting record peaked
at # 7 in mid-1961 ; in the UK it went to # 47. Lee and Boyce next turned in
the jaunty "Under The Moon of Love," which used less of a doo-wop style, in
favour of a thick sax sound and a party atmosphere a la "Quarter To Three".
Unfortunately, this was to be Lee's last recording success. After Spector fell
out with Dunes and started his own Philles label, Lee never had another hit
although he made some highly regarded "blue-eyed soul" records in the late 60s.

CD: Pretty Little Angel Eyes (Collectables). 17 tracks.
His Dunes LP, "Pretty Little Angel Eyes" (DU 2000), includes the original
(Warrior) version of "Pure Love", curiously.