Lou Rawls

[Free For All]

I played a show with Lou Rawls tonight, and he sounded great. At the age of 70 that trademark baritone voice is right there in all of its soulful splendor.

Unfortunately, he looks to be in very poor health. I'm not sure what is going on and I don't want to speculate, but he has lost a LOT of weight and is looking very frail. He's never been a big man, but I've always thought of him as robust and vigorous. He had to cut the set short when he started feeling bad very suddenly. I'm supposed to do another show with him on Saturday- I hope he feels up to it.

I kind of forgot just how many great songs he sang. He has so much soul he's one of those guys who could sing the phone book and make it sound good (ala Barry White).

Anyway, feel free to post your thoughts here.

And let's send him some love and good thoughts and hope for the best.

Paul

[marcello]

My6 wife and I saw him about three years ago at a Eastman Pops concert in Rochester and he was very enjoyable. All the women were singing with him on "You're Gonna Miss My Love" and dancing in their seats.

He had a wonderful guitar player with him, with a unique sound, that played some pretty modern, funky solos. A older guy whose name I didn't get. Was he with him last night?

[Harold_Z]

Lou has been a favorite singer of mine since the 60s. I wish him well.

I saw him around 5 or 6 years ago. The guitarist with him then was David T. Walker and the MD was H.B. Barnum.

[Bright Moments]

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...topic=22906&hl=

[GA Russell]

My favorite song of his is Just Like a Natural Man! Remember that one?

I had to be told that he sang the duet with Sam Cooke on Bring It On Home To Me. It's obvious once you know it's him.

[Jazz Kat]

I like some of his Christmas stuff, but I have to be in the mood for his voice. I do hope he is well though.

[ValerieB]

i am really sorry to hear this news, especially since he just married a younger woman and they had a baby very recently. very disturbing news. i will hope for the best.

[Harold_Z]

My favorite song of his is Just Like a Natural Man!  Remember that one?

I had to be told that he sang the duet with Sam Cooke on Bring It On Home To Me.  It's obvious once you know it's him.

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Lou Rawls sang on quite a few Sam Cooke recordings. Having A Party is one that comes to mind (it was the flip side of Bring It On Home and was the bigger hit at the time, although both got airplay). Both Sam and Lou had been with The Soul Stirrers prior to their pop music careers.

[Alexander]

A friend of mine once had a funny encounter:

She was walking through a train station (possibly Grand Central or Penn Station in NYC) when she saw an older African-American man walking towards her. At the same time, a small child walking with her mother pointed to the man and cried out, "Look mommy, it's Lou Rawls!" To my friend's surprise, the man really turned out to be Lou Rawls! He turned to the little girl and said, "That's right, little lady. Who are you?"

[John L]

I wish Lou Rawls the best. He is certainly one of the best, a very distinctive a beautiful voice.

Z: I don't think that Lou Rawls was ever a Soul Stirrer. But he did sing gospel at the same time as Sam Cooke in other groups, including the Chosen Gospel Singers and the Pilgrim Travelers. His recordings with the Pilgrim Travelers finally made it to CD only this year.

[Free For All]

Well, I just finished the second Lou Rawls show and I'm very happy to report that Mr. Rawls looked and sounded MUCH better than he did on Thursday. I guess he'd had a flu shot and didn't eat dinner and the combination of those two things led to him feeling pretty weak. He still looks quite frail, but the "impending doom" feeling I had on Thursday was apparently unnecessary, at least for now.

Tonight he kicked ass! Lou ain't done just yet.

BTW, someone asked about his guitar player (who played his ass off): it was the legendary David T. Walker. Anyone have any recommendations for recordings to check out? I know he hasn't had a particularly successful career as a leader but his sideman credentials are pretty impressive.

[JSngry]

Rawls also sang with The Highway Q.C.s, as did, at various times, Cooke & Johnnie Taylor.

[Harold_Z]

BTW, someone asked about his guitar player (who played his ass off): it was the legendary David T. Walker. Anyone have any recommendations for recordings to check out? I know he hasn't had a particularly successful career as a leader but his sideman credentials are pretty impressive.

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Swing Street Cafe is pretty good. David T. with Joe Sample and James Jamerson (uncharacterestedly subdued but groovin' Jamerson). Really nice versions of Halleluhah I Love Her so and Next Time You See Me and a few other R&B classics.

[ValerieB]

Well, I just finished the second Lou Rawls show and I'm very happy to report that Mr. Rawls looked and sounded MUCH better than he did on Thursday. I guess he'd had a flu shot and didn't eat dinner and the combination of those two things led to him feeling pretty weak. He still looks quite frail, but the "impending doom" feeling I had on Thursday was apparently unnecessary, at least for now.

Tonight he kicked ass! Lou ain't done just yet.

BTW, someone asked about his guitar player (who played his ass off): it was the legendary David T. Walker. Anyone have any recommendations for recordings to check out? I know he hasn't had a particularly successful career as a leader but his sideman credentials are pretty impressive.

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very good to hear the update!

just a thought: maybe it's the new, young wife who's kicking his ass!!! LOL!!

seriously wishing him well.

[DukeCity]

Glad to hear LR is doing OK. Apparently he'll turn 70 on Dec. 1. I've always wanted to find a copy of a 1963 album on the Capitol label called "Tobacco Road" with screamin' big band charts by Onzy Matthews.

A couple of years ago, Lou was booked to do two nights at a Casino here (Abq, NM) but the second night was cancelled when Lou got arrested on a domestic violence charge. Apparently there was an altercation with his girlfriend at the hotel. He then had to return to Abq. months later for a court date. Don't remember the outcome. Ah, showbiz...

[JSngry]

That high altitude's a bitch.

[Chuck Nessa]

That high altitude's a bitch.

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So's "what'shername"! At least that's what I want to believe.

[JSngry]

Theneria, that's her name.

[Free For All]

Love is a hurtin' thing.

[Chuck Nessa]

Love is a hurtin' thing.

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Easily a two way street.

Easily a dead end.

Really nothing easy 'bout any of it.

Easy now! -_-

[Cali]

Lou's always been a good dude. I remember seeing him often in the early 60's in L.A.

He's done a lot of charity work. Annually he raises millions of dollars for the United Negro College Fund.

Here's hoping he's with us, in good health, for many years to come.

[ValerieB]

i just heard the very upsetting news that lou has lung and brain cancer. i sincerely hope some christmas miracles come his way!

[Rosco]

This appeared tonight:

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Grammy-winning singer Lou Rawls has been diagnosed with cancer and was being treated at a Los Angeles hospital, his spokesman said on Friday.

"He was diagnosed with cancer a while back and he's undergone various treatments," Paul Shefrin said, adding that the illness became public in an Arizona court where the 70-year-old crooner was seeking an annulment of his marriage.

Shefrin declined to provide further details or confirm a report in the Arizona Republic that Rawls was diagnosed with lung cancer a year ago.

"Don't count me out, brother," Rawls told the paper from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. "There's been many people who have been diagnosed with this kind of thing and they're still jumpin' and pumpin'."

Rawls said in the interview that he had smoked regularly as a young man but quit 35 years ago.

Rawls was born in Chicago, grew up performing in the church choir and got his start in show business as a Gospel singer before turning to R&B, soul and pop. He has won three Grammy awards and sold more than 40 million albums.

Here's hoping Lou continues to 'jump and pump' for a long time yet.

Wishing him all the best.

[swingj2]

RIP: CNN is reporting this hour.

[sheldonm]

...heard the same thing on local radio and emailed news report from CNN.....very sad!

m~