Leif Garrett was a child of Hollywood who entered show business as a
young actor. By the time his star descended in the mid-'80s, Garrett
had spent half a decade as a pop singer and teen idol.
He was born Leif Per Garrett on Nov. 8, 1961,
in Los Angeles. His
sister Dawn Lyn became famous as Fred MacMurray's daughter on the TV
hit "My Three Sons."
After making his film debut in the 1969 feature film "Bob and Carol
and Ted and Alice," Garrett acted in a series of "Walking Tall"
movies. He also appeared in TV shows such as "Family Affair" and
"The Odd Couple." In 1975, Garrett starred in his own TV show, "Three
for the Road."
Garrett soon got a recording contract with Atlantic Records and issued
his eponymous debut in 1977. It featured rock oldies including "Johnny
B. Goode" and the hits "Runaround Sue" (RealAudio
excerpt), "Surfin' U.S.A." and "The Wanderer."
Feel the Need (1978) yielded his biggest hit, the U.S. and UK
top-10 song "I Was Made for Dancin'." It also included a cover of the
Beach Boys' "Fun, Fun, Fun." Garrett was the idol of millions of young
girls and his pouting pin-up photos appeared frequently in teen
magazines such as Tiger Beat and 16.
When Same Goes for You (1979) proved less successful than its
predecessors, Garrett tried covering rock bands such as the Who on
Can't Explain (1980). My Movie of You (1981), including
"Runaway Rita," was his last album.
Garrett had a part in Francis Coppola's "The Outsiders" (1983), but
forgettable films such as "Thunder Alley" (1985) and "Cheerleader
Camp" (1987) hastened his career's decline.
As he recounted this year on a segment of VH1's hit show "Behind the
Music," Garrett spent the ensuing years coming to terms with his early
rise and fall, including battles with substance abuse. He had appeared
on the music cable network earlier in the '90s, discussing his career
on such shows as "VH1's 8 Track Flashback" (as a host) and "VH1's
Where Are They Now?" (SonicNet's parent company, Viacom, also owns VH1.)
Last year, fans of Garrett were treated to the retrospective The
Leif Garrett Collection on Rock 'n' Roll Records.
Garrett still acts in movies, recently in "The Art of the Bullet"
(1999). He also has a new band, Godspeed, and he performed at Rhino
Records' Retrofest in Santa Monica this year.
Godspeed's debut is available online (www.leifgarrett.com). It
features such guests as former Marilyn Manson guitarist Zim Zum.
Other birthdays on Monday: Gerald Alston (Manhattans), 57; Bonnie
Bramlett (Delaney & Bonnie), 55; Donald Ray Murray (Turtles), 54; Roy
Wood (Move/ELO/Wizard), 53; Alan Berger (Southside Johnny & the Asbury
Jukes), 50; Bonnie Raitt, 50; Rickie Lee Jones, 45; Terry Lee Miall
(Adam & the Ants), 41; Minnie Riperton, 1947–1979.
|
