Wednesday, August 6, 2003
|
Wednesday, August 6, 2003 |
|
Legendary Lou Rawls kicks off first Jazz series at "The Fred" By MICHAEL
BOYLAN Last year, David Sanborn and Joe Sample came to Peachtree City to perform a concert during the summer concert series at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater. It was such a success, drawing attention from people in the metro Atlanta area who had never even heard of "The Fred" that the amphitheater will launch their first-ever jazz series on Saturday night with a performance from the legendary Lou Rawls. Audiences can expect to be wowed by one of the greatest voices in the business. Rawls began singing at an early age. He joined his church's choir in Chicago and by high school had started singing with classmate Sam Cooke in the group known as The Teenage Kings of Harmony. After high school, Rawls headed to Los Angeles and was recruited by The Chosen Gospel Singers and then joined The Pilgrim Travelers. In 1955, Rawls left singing for a few years when he enlisted in the Army and served as a paratrooper for the Army's 82nd Airborne Division. In 1958, Sgt. Rawls left the Army and rejoined The Pilgrim Travelers. Rawls continued to perform in shows at clubs and cafes as well and in 1959 a producer from Capitol Records caught one of his sets and brought him in to record an audition tape. It was Rawls' big break and soon he was signed to Capitol Records. In 1962 he released his debut solo album, "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water" and found moderate success with the song, "Stormy Monday." His first big hit came in 1966 with the song "Love is a Hurtin' Thing," which garnered two Grammy nominations and landed 13th on the pop charts and number one on the R&B charts. Rawls continued to find success on the charts as well as with critics. He was nominated for Grammys with each new album and won Grammys for Best R&B Vocal performance in 1967 and 1977. He also got a Grammy nomination in the Pop category, for "You'll Never Find (Another Love Like Mine)," which landed at number two on the pop charts and number one on the R&B charts. While Rawls was a successful singer, he was also a pioneer. Many people think that the monologues that Rawls would include in his live performances and would eventually find their way on to his albums was a predecessor to rap. The monologues began as a way to get the audiences attention in noisy clubs but became so popular that they found their way into most sets and several songs on albums including "Tobacco Road" and "World of Trouble." Rawls also had a one man show on Broadway and in 1976 became the corporate spokesman of the Anheuser Busch company. Rawls' partnership with Anheuser Busch paved the way for two events that were very near to his heart. First, Anheuser Busch sponsored a series of concerts for U.S. military personnel all over the world and secondly Rawls' began hosting the Lou Rawls Parade of Stars Telethon, which have raised $100 million for historically black colleges. In addition to his singing career and the events that he helped bring about, Rawls has appeared in television and movies. He was a series regular on "Baywatch Nights" and has also appeared on the programs "Early Edition," "Martin," and "Dream On." Rawls' roles on the silver screen have included performances in the films "Leaving Las Vegas," and "Blues Brothers 2000," as well as many others. Rawls also provided the singing voice for Garfield in a number of animated specials. This paved the way for yet another Grammy nomination in yet another category. Rawls eventually left Capitol Records and went to several other labels, including Philadelphia International, before ending up on the jazz label, Blue Note Records. Blue Note re-released his debut album but titled it "Stormy Monday." It was with Blue Note that Rawls got his latest Grammy nomination and has been nominated in the categories of Children's, Jazz, Pop and R&B. Another tidbit of Rawls trivia is that he recorded "Wind Beneath My Wings" years before Bette Midler and the film "Beaches" put it on karaoke machines around the world. In fact, the first black astronaut in space, Lt. Col. Guion Bluford, brought a copy of the album with him on his 1983 space shuttle voyage. Rawls continues to stay busy. Earlier this summer, he played the Monterey Blues Festival and Rawls will play in Philadelphia on Friday before his concert Saturday night. He also has a number of concerts planed on both coasts before the year is out. Fans attending Saturday's show can expect to be entertained thoroughly by a performer that was once hailed by Frank Sinatra as having "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the game." Tickets for Lou Rawls may be purchased in person at the Amphitheater's office located at 201 McIntosh Trail, by telephone at 770-631-0630 or fax at 770-631-0430. Individual tickets are $35 for stadium and lawn seats. There is a $3 handling fee per order. For more information, phone 770-631-0630.
|
