Lloyd Price is 81 years old today. An R&B vocalist, Price is known as Mr. Personality, after the name of one of his biggest million-selling hits. His first recording, Lawdy Miss Clawdy was a huge hit on Specialty Records in 1952, and although he continued to turn out records, none were as popular until several years later, when he refined the New Orleans beat and achieved a series of national hits. Born in Kenner, Louisiana, he grew up in a suburb of New Orleans. Price had formal musical training in trumpet and piano, sang in his churchs gospel choir and was a member of a combo in high school. His mother, Beatrice Price, owned the Fish n Fry Restaurant, and Price picked up a lifelong interest in business and in food from her. When Art Rupe of Specialty Records came to New Orleans scouting for talent and heard Prices song, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, he wanted to record it. Because Price did not have a band (though he would eventually start his own band in 1949), Rupe hired Dave Bartholomew and his band (which included Fats Domino on piano) to do the arrangements and back up Price in the recording session. The song turned out to be a massive hit. In 1954 he was drafted and ended up in Korea. When he returned he found he had been replaced by Little Richard. In addition, his former chauffeur, Larry Williams, was also recording for the label, having released Short Fat Fannie. From 1957 to 1959, Price recorded a series of national hits on ABC Records that were successful adaptations of the New Orleans sound, such as Stagger Lee, Personality, which reached #2, and the #3 hit Im Gonna Get Married.” Stagger Lee topped the pop and R&B charts, sold over a million copies. Dick Clark insisted the violent content of the song be toned down when Price appeared on American Bandstand but it was still the violent version that was on top of the R&B charts of 1959. Stack-o-Lee is an old blues standard recorded many times previously by other artists. Greil Marcus, in a critical analysis of the songs history, has written that Prices was an enthusiastic hard rock version with a screaming saxophone. In all of these early recordings of Lloyd Price, Merritt Mel Dalton was the lead sax player on the recordings of Personality, Stagger Lee, Im gonna get married etc.., Merritt, was in the traveling band as well and appeared on the Ed Sullivan show with Lloyd Price. During the 1970s Price owned a Manhattan restaurant-nightclub called Turntable and helped Don King promote fights including Muhammad Alis Rumble in the Jungle. He later became a builder erecting 42 town houses in the Bronx. Price toured Europe in 1993 with Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Gary U.S. Bonds. He performed in 2005 with soul legends Jerry Butler, Gene Chandler, and Ben E. King for the Four Kings of Rhythm and Blues tour, concerts captured for a DVD and PBS television special. Price currently manages Icon Food Brands, which makes a line of primarily Southern-style foods, including Lawdy Miss Clawdy food products, ranging from canned greens to sweet potato cookies, and a line of Lloyd Price foods, such as Lloyd Prices Soulful n Smooth Grits and Lloyd Prices Energy-2-Eat Bar (with the brand slogan Good taste ... Great Personality), plus Lawdy Miss Clawdy clothing and collectibles. Price continues to sing. He lives with his wife in Westchester County, New York. In 1998, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Here, Price performs “Personality.”
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 05:07:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015