Lloyd Price

Lloyd Price Avenue in Kenner

Price was born and grew up in Kenner, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. He had formal training on trumpet and piano, sang in his church's gospel choir, and was a member of a combo in high school. His mother, Beatrice Price, owned the Fish 'n' Fry Restaurant, and Price picked up lifelong interests in business and food from her.

Art Rupe, the owner of Specialty Records, based in Los Angeles, came to New Orleans in 1952 to record the distinctive style of rhythm and blues developing there, which had been highly successful for his competitor Imperial Records. Rupe heard Price's song "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and wanted to record it. Because Price did not have a band,[4] 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. His next release, "Oooh, Oooh, Oooh", cut at the same session, was a much smaller hit. Price continued making recordings for Speciality, but none of them reached the charts at that time.

In 1954, he was drafted and sent to Korea. When he returned he found he had been replaced by Little Richard.[5] In addition, his former chauffeur, Larry Williams, was also recording for the label, having released "Short Fat Fannie".

Price 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), "Personality"[6] (which reached number 2), and "I'm Gonna Get Married" (number 3).[2] When Price appeared on the television program American Bandstand to sing "Stagger Lee", the producer and host of the program, Dick Clark, insisted that he alter the lyrics to tone down its violent content.[3] "Stagger Lee" was Price's version of an old blues standard, recorded many times previously by other artists.[7] 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".[8] 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.[9] 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 formed Double L Records with Logan. Wilson Pickett got his start on this label. In 1969, Logan was murdered. Price then founded a new label, Turntable, and opened a club by the same name in New York City.[10] During the 1970s Price helped the boxing promoter Don King promote fights, including Muhammad Ali's "Rumble in the Jungle". He later became a builder, erecting 42 town houses in the Bronx.[11]

Price in 1996

Price toured Europe in 1993 with Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Gary U.S. Bonds. He performed with soul legends Jerry Butler, Gene Chandler, and Ben E. King on the "Four Kings of Rhythm and Blues" tour in 2005; concerts were recorded for a DVD and a PBS television special.

On March 9, 2010, his 77th birthday, in New Orleans, Price was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. On June 20, 2010, he appeared and sang in the season 1 finale of the HBO series Treme.

Price manages Icon Food Brands, 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.[12]

Lloyd Price Avenue in Kenner, Louisiana, was named for the singer, and the city celebrates an annual Lloyd Price Day.[13]

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, with a team that included the producer Phil Ramone. The musical details how rock and roll evolved from the New Orleans music scene of the early 1950s.[11]

Price lives with his wife in Westchester County, New York. As of 2017 he continues to sing.[11]

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Lloyd Price among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.[14]

• Official website
• Lloyd Price Icon Food Brands, official website
• Lloyd Price History-of-Rock profile
• Lloyd Price Interview – NAMM Oral History Library (2016)