In Memoriam: Iron Butterfly’s Lee Dorman
Iron Butterfly bassist Lee Dorman has passed away at the age of 70. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department reports that Dorman was found dead in his vehicle and that no foul play is suspected, though a coroner’s investigation is under way.
Dorman spent over 30 years with Iron Butterfly and was a fairly consistent member throughout the band’s numerous splits and reformations. During his tenure, he recorded three studio albums, including their 1968 smash hit “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.” The In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida LP was the first album to awarded platinum status by the RIAA once they began that achievement in 1976.
The bassist also created the progressive rock band Captain Beyond, which Iron Butterfly’s website describes as “being ahead of its time with its jazz-rock influences in multi-time signatures.”
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Lee Dorman.
Photo Credit: Eva Makovská
They all must have “Twisted One Up” for this Video! Awesome!
In A Gadda Da Vida by Iron Butterfly and Light My Fire by The Doors were two of the most popular long songs of their time, being played repeatedly by mainstream rock radio across the country. I got thoroughly sick of hearing both of them. The difference is in the bands. Iron Butterfly was a one-hit wonder, while The Doors created a body of work that holds up to this day.
Hee hee….and your band is called “accident waiting to happen?” All you needed for Ray was a full-length version of The End, complete with house lights out and a few candles on stage.