Lou Pride (May 24, 1944 – June 5, 2012)[2] was an American blues and soul singer and songwriter.[1] Some sources state his year of birth was 1950.[3] He is best known for his compositions "Long Arm of the Blues" and "Love From a Stone".[3] Pride had a cult following among British Northern soul aficionados.[4]
Lou Pride | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | George Louis Pride |
| Born | May 24, 1944 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | June 5, 2012 (aged 68) Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | Blues, soul[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1960s–2012 |
| Labels | Various including Ichiban, Curtom and Severn |
| Website | www |
Before his death, Allmusic noted that Pride had a "smooth, uptown southern voice,"[5] and was "more known for performances in blues clubs and festivals than his artistry in the studio."[6]
Biography
editHe was born George Louis Pride,[3] in Chicago, Illinois, United States.[1] Pride grew up on Chicago's north side and attended the First Baptist Church, where the pastor was Nat King Cole's father.[1][2]
After conscription in the United States Army,[2] Pride met and married a female singer and they settled in El Paso, Texas.[1] They performed as a singing duo before, after seeing B.B. King perform live, Pride concentrated his singing future around the blues and soul music genres.[7] Pride recorded his first two singles in the early 1970s. These were "I'm Com'un Home In The Morn'un" (1972) and "Your Love Is Fading," both released by Suemi Records.[1][8] After relocating to New Mexico, he recorded sporadically while constantly performing in blues clubs and at festivals on the Chitlin' Circuit.[9] Other tracks of his that were released over this period included "Look Out on Love," "We're Only Fooling Ourselves," "You've Got to Work for Love," and "Been Such a Long Time."[1]
Pride's debut album was entitled, Very Special (1979), which was released by Black Gold Entertainment. Several singles were issued before Gone Bad for a Very Special Reason (1988) was released, which had an almost an identical playlist to his debut effort.[1]
After returning to Chicago, he became acquainted with Curtis Mayfield, which saw Gone Bad Again (1990) being issued.[2] However, Pride's recordings remained second place to performing live. The WMB Records release, Love at Last (1995), contained re-recordings of several of Pride's earlier cuts. His 1997 Ichiban release was Twisting the Knife, followed by I Won't Give Up (2000).[1] Pride signed a recording contract with Severn Records in 2002, which preceded his first release for them, Words of Caution.[9] His early 1970s recordings were collected on the compilation album, The Memphis/El Paso Sessions 1970–1973, which Severn issued in June 2003.[10] Allmusic noted that the collection "remains a treasure trove of previously obscure soul music that spotlights one of the many great singers almost lost to history."[11]
In 2004, Pride undertook a brief tour in the UK. Alongside Darrell Nulisch, Pride was also the headline act at the Severn Records Soul and Blues Revue, in Chicago, in 2006.[8] Snippets of his composition, "Bringin' Me Back Home," were used in the 2007 film, Feast of Love.[7] Pride's appearance at the Severn Soul Review in 2010 was a significant comeback. He had been booked to appear in 2004, but he had had a heart attack before he could perform.[12]
Following a period of ill health, Pride died in Chicago in June 2012 of natural causes. He was aged 68.[2][13]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Very Special | Black Gold Entertainment |
| 1988 | Gone Bad for a Very Special Reason | Black Gold Entertainment |
| 1990 | Gone Bad Again | Curtom/Ichiban |
| 1995 | Love at Last | WMB Records |
| 1997 | Twisting the Knife[5] | Ichiban |
| 2000 | I Won't Give Up[6] | Icehouse Records |
| 2002 | Words of Caution | Severn |
| 2003 | The Memphis/El Paso Sessions 1970–1973[14] | Severn |
| 2005 | Keep on Believing[15] | Severn |
Selected singles
edit| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | "I'm Com'un Home In The Morn'un"[17] | Suemi Records |
| 1970 | "It's A Man's World" | Suemi Records |
| 1970 | "Lonely Room" (with Bobby Gamble & Oliver Lacy) | Suemi Records |
| 1975 | "Phoney People" | Gemco Records |
| 1978 | "If Loving You Is Wrong I Don't Want To Be Right" | Black Gold Records |
| 1979 | "Very Special" | Black Gold |
| 1984 | "Been Such A Long Time" | Onyx Records |
| 1986 | "Gone Bad" | Black Gold |
| 1988 | "I Found A Love" | Black Gold |
| 1990 | "I Didn't Take Your Woman | Curtom Records |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Lou Pride | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ a b c d e "Lou Pride Obituary: View Lou Pride's Obituary by News Sun". Legacy.suburbanchicagonews.com. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ a b c Doc Rock. "2012 January To June". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ Wilson, Andrew (2007). Northern Soul (1st ed.). Cullompton, Devon, England: Willan Publishing. p. 37. ISBN 9781-84392-208-7.
- ^ a b Andrew Hamilton (1997-10-21). "Twisting the Knife – Lou Pride | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ a b Andrew Hamilton (2000-06-27). "I Won't Give Up – Lou Pride | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ a b "Chicago singer Lou Pride 'was naturally soul blues' – Chicago Sun-Times". Suntimes.com. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ a b "Lou Pride Biography". OLDIES.com. 1950-05-24. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ a b "Soul-Blues Singer Lou Pride, R.I.P". Blues.about.com. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ "Lou Pride's Biography – Free listening, concerts, stats, & pictures at". Last.fm. 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ Hal Horowitz (2003-06-24). "The Memphis/El Paso Sessions 1970–73 – Lou Pride | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ "Lou Pride – All About the SOUL – Soul Source Rare and Northern Soul". Soul-source.co.uk. 16 November 2004. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ "Chicago blues man Lou Pride dies at 68 | SoulTracks – Soul Music Biographies, News and Reviews". SoulTracks. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ "Lou Pride". Soulbluesmusic.com. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ Hal Horowitz (2005-10-18). "Keep on Believing – Lou Pride | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ "Lou Pride | Discography". AllMusic. 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ "I'm Com'un Home In The Morn'un/I'm Com'un Home In The Morn'un Inst – Lou Pride,Southwind Symohony | Releases". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ "Lou Pride Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. 1950-05-24. Retrieved 2013-08-08.