Questlove has paid tribute to his father Lee Andrews, a notable soul singer in his own right and leader of Philadelphia-based R&B group Lee Andrews & the Hearts, who died Wednesday (March 16) at the age of 79.
Lee Andrews & the Hearts was recognized as one of the finest doo-wop groups of the ’50s, landing such hits as “Try The Impossible,” which reached No. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958.
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Questlove (born Khalib Thompson), joint frontman and drummer with Grammy-winning act the Roots, the in-house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, shared an emotional message for his late father who he honored as “The greatest teacher in my life.”
Questlove continued, “I love you. For every backstage experience. For every drum lesson. For giving me your tireless work ethic. For our father & son record binging expeditions…For the look on your face when I told you “imma give this rap thing a try” (I waited til our 2nd album to have this convo btw). For the look on your face 5 years later when I told you ‘you don’t have to work no more.’”
Read Questlove’s full message below.
The Greatest Teacher in my life, my dad Lee Andrews June 2nd 1936-March 16 2016. I love you. For every backstage experience. For every drum lesson. For giving me your tireless work ethic. For our father & son record binging expeditions. For our arguments over the summer I discovered#ItTakesANationOfMillions. For the look on your face when I told you “imma give this rap thing a try” (I waited til our 2nd album to have this convo btw) For the look on your face 5 years later when I told you “you don’t have to work no more. For the look on your face when a year later I was like “Seriously dad, you don’t have to work anymore!” For bringing my mom & my sister into my life. For the years we fell out. For the years we put it back together. But really, for the last 2 conversations we had. I understand why you were so hard on me praying I didn’t succumb to a fate not meant for a teenager in west philly in the mid 80s. I didn’t understand it at the time. But I appreciate it now. I hope Donn & I do you proud.#LeeAndrewsAndTheHearts”