Lee was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 7, 1945, in John Gaston Hospital, to Agnes (née Porter), a school teacher, and Chester Taylor, a local jazz musician and cornet player.

[1] As an only child, Lee was known by the nickname "Po", short for Porter, and was looked after by additional family members so his mother could proceed with her teaching career.

[3] At the age of four, Lee made his debut on the stage at a Baptist church, reciting a small poem about a red telephone.

[6] His mother was able to resume her teaching career, enabling the family to buy a new home in the West Adams area of South Central Los Angeles.

[12] Graduating from Susan Miller Dorsey High School, Lee's musical ambitions found opportunities between his local community and classmates.

The Ninth Wave (Capitol Records 4980) was released by his first band, the instrumental outfit called The LAGs, a Booker T & The MG's type of unit which included Johnny Echols (future co-founder, guitarist, and vocalist of Love), Lee (organ), Allan Talbert (saxophone), and Roland Davis (drums).

In a 2005 interview, Lee stated that he was looking for a guitarist with a Curtis Mayfield–like feel, and Hendrix was recommended for the session by label owner Billy Revis.

[citation needed] Lee said when he first heard The Byrds he felt vindicated since he'd already been writing music that had a similar folk rock sound.

Lee's early appearances were at clubs in Hollywood, including the Brave New World; Hullabaloo; Bido Lito's; and the Sea Witch.

At Bido Lito's, a tiny hole-in-the-wall club located on a cul-de-sac known as Cosmo's Alley, Lee first showed his potential for excellence.

The Bido Lito's audience was sometimes dotted with celebrities, including actor Sal Mineo, and rock stars Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix, who would go on to collaborate with Lee on future recording projects.

Love received a lot of air play in Los Angeles, and performed several times in 1967 at the Cheetah nightclub in Venice, California.

"[15] Though Lee's vocals have garnered some comparisons to Johnny Mathis, his lyrics often dwell on matters dark and vexing, but often with a wry humor.

The group's cover of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David composition "My Little Red Book" (first recorded by Manfred Mann for the soundtrack of What's New Pussycat?)

[citation needed] After Forever Changes, the band managed to record one more non-album single ("Your Mind and We Belong Together" b/w "Laughing Stock") which was released in June 1968 and failed to chart.

[citation needed] The next album to appear from Love was False Start (1970) which continued on with the heavier sonic direction of acid rock, in addition to featuring elements of classic R&B.

For years there were rumors that Arthur and Jimi recorded an entire record together, but the truth surfaced in 2009 when an acetate from Blue Thumb made rounds and it was revealed that there was only a long jam session (titled "Jam" on the actual acetate, to accompany The Everlasting First and an early version of the Hendrix song "Ezy Rider").

According to legend, Arthur overheard Bob Krasnow telling someone that if the False Start album did not crack the top 10 he was going to release the band from its contract.

[citation needed] In July 1972, Lee released his first solo album, Vindicator, on A&M Records, featuring a new group of musicians also playing as the band Love.

Lee's next move was to credit the backing group for Black Beauty with the addition of guitarist John Sterling as a new Love for Reel to Real (1974).

He began to tour regularly with a backup band comprising former members of Das Damen, and LA group Baby Lemonade.

"[17] Former bandmates Bryan MacLean and Ken Forssi both died while Lee was incarcerated, ending any speculation as to a full-fledged Love reunion.

With the trial prosecutor having been found guilty of misconduct, a federal appeals court in California reversed the charge of negligent discharge of a firearm.

[18] Following Lee's release from prison, he put together a new incarnation of Love and planned a Forever Changes 35th Anniversary Tour, to kick off at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

Johnny Echols joined the new group for a special Forever Changes 35th Anniversary Tour performance at Royce Hall, UCLA, in the spring of 2003.

Joining him was to be drummer Greg Roberson (Reigning Sound, Her Majesty's Buzz, Compulsive Gamblers) to put together a new line-up in Memphis, which was to include Adam Woodard, Alex Greene (The Reigning Sound, Big Ass Truck), Jack "Oblivian" Yarber, Alicja Trout, and Johnny Echols from the original Love line-up.

The most notable of these concerts was produced by Steve Weitzman of SW Productions at New York's Beacon Theatre on June 23, 2006, and featured Robert Plant, Ian Hunter, Ryan Adams, Nils Lofgren, Yo La Tengo, Garland Jeffreys, Johnny Echols (Love's original lead guitarist), and Flashy Python & The Body Snatchers (featuring Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah).

[22] Barclay James Harvest's song a "A tale of Two Sixties" from the 1978 album XII contains the lines "Give me the sound of Arthur Lee, with Forever Changes I remember, "andmoreagain ", don't leave me ever."

[citation needed] The 2009 Communion album by the Swedish band The Soundtrack of Our Lives features a song entitled "The Fan Who Wasn't There" which was based on a conversation singer Ebbot Lundberg had with Lee.

[27] It has been covered by a multitude of artists such as The Rising Storm (1983), Shockabilly (1984), Grant Hart, which appears on his All of My Senses EP (1992),[28] The White Stripes which was recorded in 1997 and released in 2011 on a single.