Lou Rawls, Vocal and Smooth jazz Artist

This week’s Featured Artist had a voice that was smooth, silky and instantly recognizable by the music listening audience around the world, and his music reached deep into the hearts and soul of many lovers.  Meet the late singer/songwriter and a three time Grammy Award winner – Lou Rawls 

Born in Chicago, Illinois, USA

Genre: Jazz, Blues, Gospel, R&B, Soul, Pop

Lou’s voice is as distinctive and instantly recognizable as any in music.  It all began on December 1, 1933, in Chicago with the birth of a boy, who would become the legendary Lou Rawls.  From Lou’s early days in gospel, his collaborations with Sam Cooke, “The Dick Clark Show” at the Hollywood Bowl in 1959, the opening for The Beatles in 1966 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, hismonologues in the 1970s that presaged rap music to becoming a “crossover” artist before the term was invented, there has been one constant in Lou Rawls’ career––a voice that one critic proclaimed was “sweet as sugar, soft as velvet, strong as steel, smooth as butter.”

Lou’s 52 years in entertainment as a recording artist, included an astonishing 60-plus albums, three Grammy wins, 13 Grammy nominations, one platinum album, five gold albums and a gold single and a Star on the Hollywood Hall of Fame.  Lou has epitomized the ultimate song stylist. “I’ve gone the full spectrum–from gospel to blues to jazz to soul to pop–and the public has accepted what I’ve done through it all. I think it means I’ve been doing something right at the right time.”

Not surprisingly, Lou began his career singing gospel.  He was raised on the South Side of Chicago by his grandmother and became a member of his Baptist church choir when his was seven-years-old.  As a teenager, Lou’s horizons expanded with trips to The Regal Theatre to see Billy Eckstine, Arthur Prysockand Joe Williams.  “I loved the way they could lift the spirit of the audience,” Lou often stated. Influenced, as well, by doo-wop, Lou would harmonize with high school classmate Cooke and together they joined groups including The Teenage Kings Of Harmony.

In the Fifties Lou ventured to Los Angeles and was recruited for The Chosen Gospel Singers, with whom he was first heard on record. Lou later joined The Pilgrim Travelers before enlisting in 1955 as a paratrooper in the Army’s 82ndAirborne Division, The All Americans.  Three years later, Sergeant Rawls left the service and rejoined The Travelers.

Biographical information courtesy of Lou Rawls.com; for more reading see link below

http://www.lourawls.com/rawlsbio.html