rare pattern thoughts in a blog

I remember hearing Lou Rawls' own brand of singing on the radio back when I was in high school. His was the cool voice because it was the voice of jazz, not pop. I loved his scat singing.

I never heard much of his forays into other genres.

Rawls' grandmother introduced him to gospel in his hometown of Chicago. The singer moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1950s to join a touring gospel group, the Pilgrim Travelers.

After a two-year stint in the Army, Rawls rejoined the Pilgrim Travelers in Los Angeles, where he sang with Sam Cooke. Rawls performed with Dick Clark at the Hollywood Bowl in 1959, and he later he opened for The Beatles at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.

Rawls was playing small blues and R&B clubs in Los Angeles when his four-octave range caught the ear of a Capitol Records producer, who signed him to the label in 1962.

His debut effort, "Stormy Monday," recorded with the Les McCann Trio, was the first of 28 albums Rawls made with Capitol.

In 1966, his "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing" topped the charts and earned Rawls his first two Grammy nominations. He won three Grammys in his career and released his most recent album, "Seasons 4 U," in 1998 on his own label, Rawls & Brokaw Records.

Lou Rawls died battling lung and brain cancer. 72 years young. Rest in peace, Lou. We'll miss you.

About the author

Laura Scott is President of pingVision.