On Sunday, news broke that another beloved musician has passed too soon.
Fred Alexander, a longtime member of funk legends Lakeside, has died, according to a bandmate.
“Fantastic Voyage” band’s lead guitarist, Stephen Shockleybroke the news on Sunday. He shed light on how Alexander helped the group keep grooving — literally and figuratively.
“Today is a very sad day for our band Lakeside because we lost Fred Alexander,” Shockley wrote. “The Little General…… The backbone of all our records with his locked drumming … The most driven and persistent man I ever knew… That’s why he became an administrator of our organization… I mean… he could find a gig in the back of a Goodwill… under a rock or buried in the mud…. He kept us going, after all seemed lost about twelve years ago…
“He made sure our taxes were paid.. He kept our brand consistent and up to date… he made sure our flights were always taken care of… and he loved to do the work.. But most of all, he was a brother… We rode together through all our albums, all our concerts, TV shows, ups and downs… until the wheels fell off…”
The guitarist added, “After 49 years together in friendship music and Brotherhood… God stepped in and said, ‘I can take a little better care of him so you hand him over.. I Got This..” Rest In Heaven Little General… I love you and we all do with all our hearts Fred…. you will be missed.. Those are some BIG little shoes to fill!!!”
No cause of death was disclosed and Alexander’s age was not publicly available at press time.
Lakeside began in the late 70s before becoming part of mainstream culture in 1980 with their hit song “Fantastic Voyage”, from the album of the same name. They also had hits with tracks like “Outrageous” (1984), “Raid” (1983) and “Something About That Woman” (1982). They also released a notable cover of The Beatles’ “I Want to Hold You Hand” on their 1982 album Your wish is my command.
