RIP

Five Man Electrical Band's Les Emmerson, writer of rock hit 'Signs,' dead at 77

TORONTO — Ottawa singer-songwriter Les Emmerson, whose anti-establishment anthem "Signs" became a staple of 1970s rock radio, has died at 77.

The leader of Five Man Electrical Band contracted COVID-19 last month and died Friday at a local hospital, says his wife Monik Emmerson.

She says her husband was double vaccinated but had underlying health issues.

Emmerson began his music career in 1965 when he joinedpop-rock band the Staccatos after the departure of their guitarist.

Several years later, the Ottawa act would change its name and put a stronger emphasis on rock elements in hopes of breaking out in the United States. It worked when "Signs" climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard singles chart, selling more than 1.5 million copies.

The idea for the song, with its unmistakable hook "sign, sign, everywhere a sign," came to Emmerson as he travelled down Route 66 in California and grew dismayed with billboards that obstructed the picturesque views.

The song translates that idea into several anecdotes where signs act as social barriers to overcome. The lyrics caught the wave of the hippie movement and ultimately earned the song a place in the canon of rock radio.

The breakout popularity of "Signs" came as Five Man Electrical Band was teetering on a breakup, though its success gave them a few extra years together.

By 1975, after a number of flops and departures of their original bandmates, Emmerson and keyboardist Ted Gerow decided to pack in the Five Man Electrical Band.

They would regroup numerous times in the years that followed for various charity events.

"Signs" found another life in 1990 when a reworked cover version appeared on Tesla's live album "Five Man Acoustical Jam," giving the band one of its biggest hits.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2021.

David Friend, The Canadian Press

 

"Signs", by Canadian rock group The Five Man Electrical Band (formerly The Staccatos), was written by lead vocalist Les Emmerson. It was released as a B-side single in 1970 from their "Good-byes and Butterflies" album and then re-released as an A-side single in 1971 where it reached #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart who ranked it as the No. 24 song for that year. It is reported to have sold more than 2 million copies worldwide, earning a gold award, and has become the band's signature recording. The lyrics are intended to give voice to those without power or property rights, which in many cases were young people. Emmerson wrote the song after taking a road trip on Route 66 in California where he noticed a scores of billboards that obscured the beautiful scenery begging the question: Who is allowed to put up signs that interfere with nature, and who gets to make the rules that appear on them? ....One thing is certain, contrary to the intent of the song, no doubt there probably were signs outside The Five Man Electrical Band's concert venues that read something like "Must have a ticket to enter".