Lloyd Price

Lloyd Price (March 9, 1933 – May 3, 2021) was an American R&B and rock and roll singer known as "Mr. Personality" after his 1959 million-selling hit, "Personality". His first recording, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", was a hit for Specialty Records in 1952. He continued to release records, but none were as popular until several years later, when he refined the New Orleans beat and achieved a series of national hits. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Early life, family and education Price was born on March 9, 1933, and raised in Kenner, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. Price picked up lifelong interests in business and food from her. He and his younger brother Leo Rupe hired Dave Bartholomew to create the arrangements and Bartholomew's band (plus Fats Domino on piano) to back Price in the recording session. The song was a massive hit, selling over one million copies and earning Price his first gold disc. His next release, "Oooh, Oooh, Oooh", cut at the same session, was a much smaller hit. Price continued making recordings for Specialty, but none of them reached the charts at that time.

In 1954, he was drafted into the US Army In addition, his former chauffeur, Larry Williams, was also recording for the label, having released "Short Fat Fannie".

He eventually formed KRC Records with Harold Logan and Bill Boskent. Their first single, "Just Because", was picked up for distribution by ABC Records. From 1957 to 1959, Price recorded a series of national hits for ABC that successfully adapted the New Orleans sound, including "Stagger Lee" (which topped the Pop and R&B charts and sold over a million copies), (which reached number 2), and "I'm Gonna Get Married" (number 3). Greil Marcus, in a critical analysis of the song's history, wrote that Price's version was an enthusiastic rock rendition, "all momentum, driven by a wailing sax." In all of these early recordings by Price ("Personality", "Stagger Lee", "I'm Gonna Get Married", and others) Merritt Mel Dalton was the lead sax player; he was also in the traveling band and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show with Price. The personnel on the original hit recording of "Stagger Lee" included Clarence Johnson on piano, John Patton on bass, Charles McClendon and Eddie Saunders on tenor sax, Ted Curson on trumpet and Sticks Simpkins on drums.

In 1962, Price along with business partner Harold Logan formed Double L Records. In the film, he performs "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" with Allen Toussaint and band.

On June 20, 2010, he appeared and sang in the season 1 finale of the HBO series Treme. he continued to sing.

Other pursuits Price was a prolific entrepreneur. In addition to his music production and publication ownership, he started and owned businesses in various industries. He owned two construction companies, erecting middle-income housing in the 1980s in the Bronx and also homes in Staten Island. which makes a line of 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 Price's Soulful 'n' Smooth Grits and Lloyd Price's Energy-2-Eat Bar, plus Lawdy Miss Clawdy clothing and collectibles.

In 2011, Price released his autobiography, The True King of the Fifties: The Lloyd Price Story, and worked on a Broadway musical, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, focused on his life and rise to stardom with a team that included the producer Phil Ramone. which opened at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago to positive reviews.

Honors and awards Association Year Award Results Rhythm and Blues Foundation 1994 Pioneer Award 1995 Lloyd Price Avenue, Kenner, Louisiana Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 1998 Inductee Southern University 2001 Honorary Doctorate National Black Sports & Entertainment Hall of Fame 2001 Inductee Louisiana Hall of Fame 2010 Inductee National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame 2019 Inductee

Personal life and death Price and his wife resided in Westchester County, New York.

Discography

Albums Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles +Lloyd Price singles Year Single (A-side, B-side, both sides from same album except where indicated) Chart positions Album US US R&B AUS 1952 "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" / "Mailman Blues" — 1 — —Lloyd Price "Oooh-Oooh-Oooh" / — 4 — —Non-album tracks "Restless Heart" — 5 — — 1953 "Ain't It a Shame" / — 4 — —Personality Plus "Tell Me Pretty Baby" — 8 — —Lloyd Price "What's the Matter Now?" / "So Long" (from Lloyd Price) — — — —Walkin' The Track "Where You At?" / "Baby Don't Turn Your Back on Me" (non-album track) — — — —Lloyd Price "I Wish Your Picture Was You" / "Frog Legs" (from Walkin' the Track) — — — —1954 "Too Late for Tears" / "Let Me Come Home Baby" (non-album track) — — — — "Jimmie Lee" / "Walkin' the Track" (from Walkin' the Track) — — — — "Chee-Koo Baby" / "Oo-Ee Baby" (from Walkin' the Track) — — — — 1955 "Lord, Lord, Amen!" / "Tryin' to Find Someone to Love" — — — —Non-album tracks1956 "Just Because" / "Why" (original release on KRC) — — — —The Exciting Lloyd Price "I Yi Yi Gomen-A-Sai (I'm Sorry)" / "Woe Ho Ho" (non-album track) — — — —Walkin' the Track "Country Boy Rock" / "Rock 'n' Roll Dance" (non-album track) — — — —Lloyd Price "Forgive Me, Clawdy" / "I'm Glad, Glad" — — — —Walkin' the Track 1957 "Just Because" / "Why" (second release on ABC-Paramount) 29 3 — —The Exciting Lloyd Price "Baby, Please Come Home" / "Breaking My Heart (All Over Again)" — — — —Non-album tracks "Lonely Chair" / "The Chicken and the Bop" 88 — — — "Georgianna" / "Hello Little Girl" — — — — "Mailman Blues" / "Oh, Oh, Oh" — — — —The Exciting Lloyd Price1958 "To Love and Be Loved" / "How Many Times" — — — —Non-album tracks "No Limit to Love" / "Such a Mess" — — — —Mr. Rhythm & Blues "Stagger Lee" / "You Need Love" 1 1 7 8The Exciting Lloyd Price 1959 "Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day?)" / "Is It Really Love?" (from Mr. "Personality") 23 4 15 62 "Personality" / "Have You Ever Had the Blues" 2 1 9 1Mr. "Personality" "Gonna Let You Come Back Home" / "Down by the River" (from Mr. Rhythm & Blues) — — — —Non-album track "I'm Gonna Get Married" / 3 1 23 2Mr. "Personality" "Three Little Pigs" — 15 — —"Mr. Personality's" 15 Hits 1960 "Come into My Heart" / 20 2 — 36 "Wont'cha Come Home" 43 6 — 92 "Lady Luck" 14 3 45 41 "Never Let Me Go" 82 26 — — "No If's – No And's" 40 16 — 58Non-album tracks "For Love" 43 — — — "Question" / "If I Look a Little Blue" 19 5 — 61 "Just Call Me (And I'll Understand)" 79 — — 73 "Who Coulda' Told You (They Lied)" 103 — — — 1961 "You Better Know What You're Doin'" / "That's Why Tears Come and Go" (from Cookin''') 90 — — —

— — — —

— — — —

— — — —

110 — — —

— — — —

— — — —

— — — —

— — — —

123 — — —

— — — —

— — — —

21 11 — —

— — — —

84 38 — —

— — — —

123 — — —

124 — — —

— — — —

107 — — —

— — — —

— — — —

— — — — "The Man Who Took the Valise off the Floor of Grand Central Station at Noon" / "I Won't Cry Anymore" — — — — 1967

— — — —

— — — —

— — — —

— — — —

— — — —

— 21 — — 1970

— — — —

— — — —

— — — —

— — — —

— — — —

— — — —

— 32 — —

1974

— — — —

1976

— 99 — — Music-Music'' "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.