Lou Rawls
Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1935 – January 6, 2006)Template:Fn was a Chicago-born American soul music, jazz, and blues singer. Known for his smooth vocal style, Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game."[1]
Rawls had released more than 70 albums, been in movies, television shows and voiced-over many cartoons. A high school classmate of soul giant Sam Cooke, Rawls sang with Cooke in the Teenage Kings of Harmony, a 50's gospel group. Rawls enlisted in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division in 1955. He left the "All-Americans" three years later as a Sergeant and hooked up with a group with whom he had sung before enlisting, the Pilgrim Travelers. In 1958, while touring the South with the Travelers and Sam Cooke, Rawls was in a serious car crash that claimed the life of one person. Rawls was actually pronounced dead before getting to the hospital where he stayed in a coma for 5-1/2 days. It took him months to regain his memory and a year to fully recuperate. Rawls considered the event life-changing.
Rawls and Dick Clark performed at the Hollywood Bowl in 1959. Rawls was signed to Capitol Records in 1962, the same year he sang the soulful background vocals on the Sam Cooke recording of "Bring it on Home to Me". His first Capitol release was "Stormy Monday" (a.k.a. "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water"), a jazz album. Though his 1966 album "Live!" went gold, Rawls wouldn't have a star-making hit until he made a proper soul album, appropriately named "Soulin'" later that same year. The album contained his first R&B #1 single, "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing". 1967 saw Rawls win his first Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance for "Dead End Street". After leaving Capitol in 1971, Rawls joined MGM and released the Grammy-winning single "Natural Man". In 1976, Rawls had his greatest album success with the platinum-selling "All Things in Time". The album produced his most successful single, "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine", which topped the R&B charts and went to number two on the pop side and also went platinum. Subsequent albums, such as 1977's When You've Heard Lou, You've Heard It All yielded such Top 25 singles as "Lady Love".
According to an Associated Press article, dated December 19, 2005, Rawls tried to annul his two-year marriage to Nina Malek Inman Rawls in order to "protect hundreds of thousands of dollars" that his wife "absconded" with. Mrs. Rawls, who acted as his manager for two years, explained that she transferred nearly US$350,000 of his into an account she solely controls to prevent one of Rawls' daughters from seizing it. The couple had a son together, Aiden Allen Rawls.
In December 2005, it was announced that Rawls was being treated for lung and brain cancer. Rawls died on January 6, 2006 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles with his wife at his side.
Trivia
Rawls was famous for the expression, "Yeahhhh, buddy!"
His performance of "You'll Never Find" at the Grammy Awards of 1977 was completely frustrated by a coughing fit, demonstrating that many such performances were not lip synched.
He was featured on the "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" commentary track. At one point he had a scat singing contest with Will Ferrell.
Sang the National Anthem in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series at U.S. Cellular Field in his hometown of Chicago.
Honors and Charity Work
In 1980, Rawls began the "Lou Rawls Parade of Stars Telethon" which benefits the United Negro College Fund. The annual event, now known as "An Evening of Stars", consists of musical performances and stories of successful African American students who have graduated or benefitted from one of the many historically black colleges and universities who receive support from the UNCF. The event has raised over US$200 million for the fund thus far (2006).
In January 2004, Rawls was honored by the United Negro College Fund for his more than 25 years of charity work with the organization. Instead of Rawls' hosting and performing, he was given the seat of honor and celebrated by his performing colleagues, including Stevie Wonder, The O'Jays, Gerald Levert, Ashanti, and many others.
Acting Career
Throughout Rawls' singing career, he had the opportunity to appear in many films, television shows, and commercials. He can be seen in such films as Leaving Las Vegas, Blues Brothers 2000, and Angel, Angel, Down We Go. He had a supporting role in the Baywatch spin-off, Baywatch Nights.
Rawls lent his rich baritone voice to many cartoons, including Hey Arnold, Garfield, The Proud Family, and Captain Planet and the Planeteers.
For many years, he was a spokesperson for Colonial Penn.
Rawls was also a regular guest host on "Jazz Central", a program aired on the BET Jazz cable channel.
Notes
Template:Fnb At the time of death, some sources gave Lou Rawls' year of birth as 1933.