Lou Rawls

He was a three-time winner of the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance Grammy Award.

Lou Rawls studied at Dunbar Vocational High School. The recorded working language is English. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are blues and soul. Distinctions recorded are star on Hollywood Walk of Fame and honorary degree from Spelman College.

• Name — Lou Rawls • Birth Name — Louis Allen Rawls • Born — 1 December 1933 • Birthplace — Chicago, Illinois, U.S. • Died — 6 January 2006 • Place of death — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Resting Place — Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) • Occupation — * Singer • record producer • composer • actor • Years Active — 1941–2005 • Website — lourawls.com

Rawls was born in Chicago on December 1, 1933, and raised by his grandmother in the Ida B. Wells projects on the city's South Side. He began singing in the Greater Mount Olive Baptist Church choir at the age of seven and later sang with local groups through which he met Sam Cooke, who was nearly three years older, and Curtis Mayfield.

After graduating from Dunbar Vocational High School, he sang briefly with Cooke in the Teenage Kings of Harmony, a gospel group, and then with the Holy Wonders. In 1951, he replaced Cooke in the Highway QC's after Cooke departed to join The Soul Stirrers in Los Angeles. Rawls was hired by the Chosen Gospel Singers and moved to Los Angeles, where he joined the Pilgrim Travelers. In 1955, Rawls enlisted in the United States Army as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. He served in B Co 2/505th Parachute Infantry and made 26 jumps. He left the Army three years later as a Sergeant and rejoined the Pilgrim Travelers (then known as the Travelers). In 1958, while touring the South with the Travelers and Sam Cooke, Rawls was in a car crash. He was pronounced dead before arriving at the hospital, where he stayed in a coma for five and a half days. He spent a year recuperating, and it was several months before his memory returned. He considered the crash a life-changing event. With Dick Clark as master of ceremonies, Rawls was able to perform at the Hollywood Bowl in 1959. His first two singles were "Love, Love, Love" and "Walkin' (For Miles)" for Shar-Dee Records, a label owned by Herb Alpert. In 1960, Rawls recorded "The Waterboy" for Candix Records as Russ Regan and the Rowdies. He also recorded the singles "In My Little Black Book" and "80 Ways" for the label. In July 1961, Rawls was discovered at the Pandora's Box nightclub in Los Angeles by producer Nick Venet, and subsequently signed to Capitol Records. In 1962, Rawls sang backing vocals on "Bring It On Home to Me" and "That's Where It's At", both written by Cooke. Rawls charted with a cover of "Bring It On Home to Me" in 1970 (with the title shortened to "Bring It On Home"). Stormy Monday, a jazz album with Les McCann, was released in 1962. The next two Capitol albums (Black and Blue, Tobacco Road) sold well and employed Onzy Matthews as musical director and a 17-piece big band. Both albums reached the Billboard magazine charts and propelled his career. Although his 1966 album Live! was certified gold, Rawls would not have a star-making hit until he made a soul album, named Soulin', later that year. The album contained "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing", his first R&B No.1 single. In 1967, he won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance for the single "Dead End Street". In 1967, he performed at the first evening of the Monterey International Pop Music Festival. • Illustration — Rawls performing with Frank Gorshin in 1977 In 1969, Rawls was co-host of NBC's summer replacement series for the Dean Martin Show with Martin's daughter, singer Gail Martin. Capitol Records dropped Rawls in 1970. Comedian Sandy Baron and singer Bobby Hebb had a song called "Natural Man" that they wanted the newly unsigned Rawls to sign and convinced Michael Lloyd at MGM to sign Rawls; the song would be a hit for Rawls and briefly revive his career. For Bell Records in 1974 he recorded a cover version of "She's Gone" by Hall & Oates. Two years later with his new manager Martin Pichinson, he signed with Philadelphia International and recorded All Things in Time, which sold a million copies. "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" became his biggest selling single, selling a million copies, topping the R&B and Adult Contemporary charts, and reaching No. 2 on the pop chart. The hit single "Lady Love" followed, from the 1977 album When You Hear Lou, You've Heard It All.

• Illustration — Rawls (right) at Baltimore's Inner Harbor (1980) being interviewed by local news anchor Curt Anderson, promoting the Lou Rawls Parade of Stars Telethon In 1980, Rawls began the Lou Rawls Parade of Stars Telethon, which benefited the United Negro College Fund. The annual event, known since 1998 as "An Evening of Stars: A Celebration of Educational Excellence", consists of stories of successful Black students who have benefited from and/or graduated from one of the many historically Black colleges and universities that receive support from the UNCF, along with musical performances from various recording artists in support of the UNCF's and Rawls' efforts. The event had raised more than US$250 million for the fund at the time of Rawls' death in 2006.

Rawls was married three times. His third wife, Nina, a former flight attendant, managed his career during his last two years. They had one son, Aiden Rawls. He was also survived by another son, Lou Rawls Jr. (deceased 2023); two daughters, Louanna Rawls and Kendra Smith (both of Los Angeles); and four grandchildren.

• Illustration — Lou Rawls's outdoor mausoleum crypt at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) In December 2005, it was announced that Rawls was being treated for lung cancer that metastasized to his brain. He died from this illness on January 6, 2006, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. Little Richard and David Hasselhoff attended his funeral. He is entombed at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills). Lou Rawls's final television performance occurred during the 2005–2006 edition of his telethon, honoring Stevie Wonder in September 2005, months before entering the hospital and after having been diagnosed with cancer earlier in the year. He performed "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and "It Was a Very Good Year" as a tribute to Frank Sinatra.

• Stormy Monday with Les McCann (Capitol, 1962) • Black and Blue (Capitol, 1963) • Tobacco Road (Capitol, 1964) • Nobody But Lou (Capitol, 1965) • Lou Rawls and Strings (Capitol, 1965) • Live! (Capitol, 1966) • Soulin (Capitol, 1966) • Carryin' On! (Capitol, 1966) • Too Much! (Capitol, 1967) • That's Lou (Capitol, 1967) • Merry Christmas Ho! Ho! Ho! (Capitol, 1967) • Feelin' Good (Capitol, 1968) • You're Good for Me (Capitol, 1968) • Central Park Music Festival with Ramsey Lewis, Maxine Brown (Music Images, 1968) • Come On in, Mister Blues (Pickwick, 1968) • The Way It Was, The Way It Is (Capitol, 1969) • Your Good Thing (Capitol, 1969) • You've Made Me So Very Happy (Capitol, 1970) • Bring It On Home...and Other Great Sam Cooke Hits (Capitol, 1970) • Natural Man (MGM, 1971) • Silk & Soul (MGM, 1972) • A Man of Value (MGM, 1972) • The Soul of Nigger Charley with Don Costa (MGM, 1973) • Live at the Century Plaza (MGM, 1973) • She's Gone (Bell, 1974) • Lou Rawls with Host Sam Riddle (Sounds Like The Navy, 1974) • All Things in Time (Philadelphia International, 1976) • Naturally (Polydor, 1976) • Unmistakably Lou (Philadelphia International, 1977) • When You Hear Lou, You've Heard It All (Philadelphia International, 1977) • Live (Philadelphia International, 1978) • Let Me Be Good to You (Philadelphia International, 1979) • Sit Down and Talk to Me (Philadelphia International, 1980) • Shades of Blue (Philadelphia International, 1981) • Here Comes Garfield (Epic, 1982) • Now Is the Time (Epic, 1982) • When the Night Comes (Epic, 1983) • Close Company (Epic, 1984) • Trying As Hard As I Can (Allegiance, 1984) • Holiday Cheer with Lena Horne (Capitol, 1985) • Love All Your Blues Away (Epic, 1986) • Family Reunion (Gamble and Huff 1987) • At Last (Blue Note, 1989) • It's Supposed to Be Fun (Blue Note, 1990) • Portrait of the Blues (Manhattan, 1993) • Christmas Is the Time (Manhattan, 1993) • Seasons 4 U (Rawls & Brokaw, 1998) • Classic Soul (TKO Magnum Music, 1999) • Swingin' Christmas (EMI-Capitol, 2000) • I'm Blessed (Malaco, 2001) • Rawls Sings Sinatra (Savoy, 2003) • Christmas (Hy-Lo, 2004)

• Year — Single — Chart Positions • US Pop — US R&B — US AC — UK • | 1965 — "Three O'Clock in the Morning" — 83 — — — 27 — — • 1966 — "The Shadow of Your Smile" — — — 33 — — — — • "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing" — 13 — 1 — — — — • "You Can Bring Me All Your Heartaches" — 55 — 35 — — — — • 1967 — "Trouble Down Here Below" — 92 — — — — — — • "Dead End Street" — 29 — 3 — — — — • "Show Business" — 45 — 25 — — — — • "Little Drummer Boy" — — — — — — — — • | 1968 — "Down Here on the Ground" — 69 — — — — — — • 1969 — "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)" — 18 — 3 — 35 — — • "I Can't Make It Alone" — 63 — 33 — — — — • 1970 — "You've Made Me So Very Happy" — 95 — 32 — 31 — — • "Bring It On Home" — 96 — 45 — — — — • | 1971 — "A Natural Man" — 17 — 17 — 14 — — • 1972 — "His Song Shall Be Sung" — — — 44 — — — — • "Walk On In" — — — — — 34 — — • | 1974 — "She's Gone" — — — 81 — — — — • 1976 — "You'll Never Find Another Love like Mine" — 2 — 1 — 1 — 10 • "Groovy People" / "This Song Will Last Forever" — 64 — — 19 74 — 19 — — — • | 1977 — "See You When I Git There" — 66 — 8 — — — — • 1978 — "Lady Love" — 24 — 21 — 5 — — • "One Life to Live" — — — 32 — 10 — — • "There Will Be Love" — — — 76 — 33 — — • 1979 — "Let Me Be Good to You" — — — 11 — — — — • "Sit Down and Talk to Me" — — — 26 — — — — • 1980 — "You're My Blessing" — 77 — — — — — — • "Ain't That Loving You (for More Reasons than One)" — — — 57 — — — — • "I Go Crazy" — — — 37 — — — — • | 1982 — "Will You Kiss Me One More Time" — — — 54 — — — — • | 1983 — "Wind Beneath My Wings" — 65 — 60 — 10 — — • | 1984 — "All Time Lover" — — — 67 — — — — • | 1985 — "Learn to Love Again" — — — 71 — — — — • | 1986 — "Stop Me from Starting This Feeling" — — — — — — — 80 • | 1987 — "I Wish You Belonged to Me" — — — 28 — — — — • "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

• 1969: Angel, Angel, Down We Go as Joe • 1969: "Joshua Watson" The Big Valley • 1972: "Mannix" Lifeline Episode as Vance Logan • 1978: The Muppet Show Guest Star • 1995: Leaving Las Vegas as Concerned Cab Driver • 1996-2004: Hey Arnold as Harvey the Mailman (18 episodes) • 1996: Driven as Charlie • 1997: Only in America (Don King HBO Movie) • 1997: "Still Breathing" as The Tree Man • 1997: "The Wall: Part 2" (1 episode) Early Edition • 1998: The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs (voice of Anubis) • 1998: The Rugrats Movie as a newborn baby singer • 1998: Blues Brothers 2000 as a member of The Louisiana Gator Boys band • 1999: KaBlam! as himself • 2000: Jazz Channel Presents Lou Rawls (Image) • 2001: My Wife and Kids Episode: "Michael's Garden" (himself) • 2002: The Proud Family Episode The Party • 2002: The District Episode Explicit Activities • 2003: In Concert (BMG/Image) • 2005: Prime Concerts: In Concert with Edmonton Symphony (Amalgamated) • 2005: South Park as Tolkien Black (singing voice; archival synthase recording) Episode: "Wing" • 2006: The Lou Rawls Show: With Duke Ellington & Freda Payne • 2007: Live in Concert: North Sea Jazz. 1992-1995 (E-M-S)

Lou Rawls is recorded as singer, actor and musician.

On the night of September 29, 1977, Rawls performed the national anthem of the United States before the Earnie Shavers-Muhammad Ali title fight at Madison Square Garden. He was invited to sing the anthem many times over the next 28 years. His final performance was in his hometown of Chicago when he was asked to sing the national anthem before the second game of the 2005 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros at U.S. Cellular Field. Rawls won the AMA for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist in 1979, tied with singer Teddy Pendergrass. In 1982, Rawls received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On January 19, 1985, he sang "Wind Beneath My Wings" at the nationally televised 50th Presidential Inaugural Gala the day before the second inauguration of Ronald Reagan. In 2021, Rawls was posthumously inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

* |1968 — "Dead End Street" — Best Male R&B Vocal Performance * |1972 — "A Natural Man" — |Best Male R&B Vocal Performance * |1976 — "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" — Best Male Pop Vocal Performance * |1978 — Unmistakably Lou — |Best Male R&B Vocal Performance