R&B star who helped lay the foundation of rock-and-roll
Lloyd Price, an R&B singer from New Orleans whose scorching 1950s recordings “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” and “Stagger Lee” became crossover hits seminal to the development of rock music, and whose later endeavors included owning record labels and promoting boxing matches, died May 3 at care facility in New Rochelle, New
York. He was 88.
The death was confirmed by his manager, Tom Trapani. He had complications from diabetes.
Price gravitated to music in childhood, as he sought an escape from backbreaking work carting blocks of ice. He took up piano and later fronted a band in high school. At 19, he had an audition with Fats Domino’s arranger and music producer, Dave Bartholomew, who was floored by Price’s charisma — he was later dubbed
“Mr. Personality” — and the upbeat, yet plaintive, blues number he brought into the studio.
“Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” whose title came from an advertising catchphrase of a local DJ, Okey Dokey Smith, was released as a single in 1952. The song featured the distinctive piano trills and triplet rhythm of Domino on backup as Price wailed, “Lawdy, Lawdy, Lawdy, Miss Clawdy. Girl, you sure look good to me.” It topped the R&B charts for seven weeks, attracted a huge White audience (Price was Black) and over decades became a standard covered by dozens of performers, including Elvis Presley, Little Richard and — in their 1970 concert film
“Let It Be” — the Beatles.
In 1954, at the peak of his success with “Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” Price saw his career interrupted by the draft. His music, he often said, was a threat to segregated society because both Black and White kids were dancing to it.
He returned to civilian life nearly two years later to find himself supplanted in popularity by Little Richard, the pompadoured singer whose career Price had helped boost after spotting him in a club.
At the beginning of his career, Price had the foresight to retain ownership of the copyrights and future royalties of his music. In 1956, he bought out his old record contract and went into business for himself, moving to Washington and launching the independent KRC record label his band director, Bill Boskent. He signed with ABC-Paramount in 1958.
”It was blatantly disrespectful that it took this long,“he told the Boston Herald. ”But I understand why it took so long. Because of me being a rebel.’’