Jack Ely, the lead singer of the Kingsmen, has died. He was 71.
Best known for their song “Louie Louie,” The Kingsmen formed in Portland, Oregon in 1959. In 1963, the group released a hastily recorded version of Richard Berry’s 1957 track “Louie Louie” after seeing how crazy yet another cover of the track—this one by Washington-born singer Rockin’ Robin Roberts—drove crowds listening to a bar’s jukebox. Recorded for just $50 and in one take, The Kingsmen’s version of “Louie Louie” sounds like a rollicking live performance, especially considering Ely’s slurred lyrics. In an interview, Ely said that he was “yelling than singing” in an attempt to be heard over his bandmates’ instruments, and blames the fact that he also was wearing braces at the time for some of his vocal messiness. Those lyrics got the song banned by Indiana governor Matthew E. Welsh and investigated by the FBI, both of whom believed (incorrectly) that Ely was slipping indecent words into the track.