By Chris Rizik
May 7, 2021
(May 7, 2021) A musical giant has died. Lloyd Price, the singer who scaled the charts in the late 50s with hits like “Stagger Lee” and “Personality,” has passed at age 88. The information was posted to Facebook by Maxwell Entertainment owner Rickey Poppell.
The NOLA-born Price began performing at a young age, and was discovered as a teenager when he performed his song “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” around town. He was signed to Specialty Records and the song became a smash in 1953. After a stint in the Army, Price returned to performing and moved to the ABC label.
From there, the hits started flowing. “Stagger Lee,” “Personality” and I’m Gonna Get Married” all scaled the top 5, and Price developed a reputation for his ability to merge blues and the emerging rock sound into something special. Overall, he had 15 top 10 R&B hits.
Price continued to record with less success into the late 60s, but remained a popular touring artist. He also was a fearless entrepreneur, creating businesses in construction, sports equipment, entertainment and publishing. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, and receive an honorary doctorate in 2001.
Price also wrote several books, including his memoir sumdumhonky in 2015. In it, he chronicled a career experience that showed no matter how successful he became, “race was never far from the surface.” But he took on those challenges to establish personal success upon success over his long, eventful life.
Price was as unique a singer and individual as we’ve seen in the music world over the past 60+ years, and he will be greatly missed.
PRICE, Lloyd
Born: 3/9/1933, Kenner, Louisiana, U.S.A.
Died: 5/6/2021, Westchester County, New York
Lloyd Price’s western – soundtrack:
The Legend of Nigger Charlie - 972 [sang “In the Eyes of God”, “The Legend of Nigger Charlie”]
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