Lou Pride | |
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Birth name | George Louis Pride |
Born | Chicago, Illinois, United States | May 24, 1944
Died | June 5, 2012 Chicago, Illinois, United States | (aged 68)
Genres | Blues, soul [1] |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Years active | 1960s–2012 |
Labels | Various including Ichiban, Curtom and Severn |
Website |
www |
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]
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]
He 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]
Year | Title | Label |
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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 |
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Year | Title | Label |
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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 |