Singer/songwriter Sky Saxon, the self-styled King of Garage Rock, was the founder and front man of the 1960s psychedelic flower power group The Seeds.

He began his career performing doo-wop pop tunes as Little Richie Marsh but changed his name to Sky Saxon when he established The Seeds in 1965.

The band broke into the American Top 40 with their debut single Pushin’ Too Hard and soon became the most new rock band in Los Angeles, commanding a fee of $6,000 a night.

The music on the group’s 1966 albums, The Seeds and A Web of Sound, epitomised the hippie culture of the time, with one critic describing it as "weird psychotic blues highlighting Sky's demented vocal sermonizing ."

The Seeds broke up in 1967 and Saxon formed the Sky Saxon Blues Band, releasing the 1969 album A Full Spoon Of Seedy Blues with sleeve notes by the veteran bluesman Muddy Waters.

In the 1970s, Saxon became a member of a religious commune, The Source, living in a Los Angeles mansion where he recorded primitive psychedelic music for the cult who sold the albums for $1 each.

He was coaxed out of retirement briefly in the ‘80s to record the Starry Ride album and two others under the name of Firewall.

In 2002 he emerged again to put together a version of The Seeds, touring Europe and America, where his 1960s recordings were back in fashion.

The Seeds’ original recordings remain popular, having been featured on film and television soundtracks and advertisements. Saxon’s songs have also been performed by some of the industry’s best known performers, including The Ramones and Noel Gallagher.

Saxon died on 25 June, 2009, aged 71. He was survived by his wife, Sabrina Saxon, and their son, Joshua Aquarian.