Growing up, all I wanted to be was a writer. But on Aug. 19, 2003, at around 9 p.m., standing on a stage in Los Angeles, anxiously waiting for the rise of the curtain, I had an epiphany. I wasn’t supposed to be a 34-year-old struggling writer. My true destiny? ROCK STAR!

I clutched my violin, plucking quietly at the strings to make sure they were still in tune. I could hear the restless audience on the other side of the curtain. Normally, I never felt nervous before a gig. As a semi-professional freelance musician, I had already performed dozens of times with other rock bands. But they were mostly local bands at sparsely attended gigs in either hipster coffeehouses in Hollywood or grungy post-midnight anonymous clubs in Silver Lake.

This time, I was at the world-famous House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard, waiting to perform with the headlining act. My hands trembled. I was about to play with a “real” rock star. And not just any rock star. He was a personal idol of mine — Arthur Lee of Love.

Born in 1945 in Memphis, Tenn., before relocating to Los Angeles, Arthur was a fiercely talented songwriter who formed the 1960s psychedelic rock band Love. He was one of the very few African American rock musicians involved in the famous West Coast psychedelic movement of the late ’60s. Arthur often referred to himself as “the black hippie.” Love’s seminal and critically acclaimed album, 1967’s “Forever Changes,” featured a luminous mix of swirling violins, edgy guitars, intricate melodies and complicated tempo changes. It would become their most famous album and an instant cult classic, ranking at No. 40 in Rolling Stone’s 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums.

But Arthur never became the next Jimi Hendrix. Bands like the Doors eclipsed his rising star. Instead of becoming famous, Arthur became the “musician’s musician” because many of his fans were also famous rockers, including Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant and Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd.

Despite his musical genius, the volatile Arthur had many personal demons, including health issues and rumors of drug problems. He claimed to have tried heroin once but denied any addiction. During the 1980s, however, he was convicted of two drug charges. He continued to pursue his music, constantly changing the Love lineup and even attempting a failed solo career. He soon seemed destined to fade away into obscurity. But Arthur refused to disappear. In 1992, he asked the popular Los Angeles psychedelic alternative rock band Baby Lemonade to be his new Love lineup. For the next four years, Arthur and Baby Lemonade worked hard at his comeback and called themselves “Love With Arthur Lee.” But in 1996, Arthur’s personal demons surfaced again. He was charged with illegal possession of a firearm. Given his two previous drug charges and California’s three-strikes law, Arthur was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years in jail. Fortunately, a federal appeals court in California reversed the decision because of prosecutor misconduct. Arthur was released early in 2001.