Born outside of Chicago, singing is something that seemed to come naturally for Lou Pride. Like many of the artists he’s commonly compared to (Bobby Bland, ZZ Hill and Little Milton), he got his start singing in the choir of the First Baptist Church whose pastor was Reverend E.J. Cole (Nat King Cole’s father).
His initial recording career began in the early ’70’s on an obscure label, Suemi Records, which produced a few notable singles for Lou. He then moved to Black Gold Records and released Very Special and Gone Bad for a Very Special Reason before producer Marvin Yancy (Natalie Cole’s ex-husband) introduced him to Curtis Mayfield whose Curtom label produced Gone Bad Again.
During his career, we had the distinct pleasure of working with Lou on four releases: the reissue of The Memphis/El Paso Sessions: 1970-73, Words of Caution, Keep On Believing, and his final recording, Ain’t No More Love In This House. Sadly, in 2012 Lou was suddenly taken from us, but his generous spirit and all around good nature left an indelible imprint on our hearts. That, along with a catalog we’re very proud of, ensures he will live on forever.
DISCOGRAPHY
Ain’t No More Love In This House (Severn CD-0060 © 2013)
Keep On Believing (Severn CD-0037 © 2005)
The Memphis/El Paso Sessions: 1970-73 (Severn CD-0022 © 2003)
Words of Caution (Severn CD-0017 © 2002)
I Won’t Give Up (Ice House Records)
Love At Last (WMB Records)
Twisting the Knife (Ichiban)
Gone Bad Again (Curtom Records)
Very Special (Black Gold)
Gone Bad for a Very Special Reason (Black Gold)
