Born:
March 9, 1933, Kenner, LA
Genres:
R&B, Rock and Roll, Pop
Instruments:
Vocals
Contributions to music:
- Created one of the first rock and roll songs with 1952's massive hit "Lawdy Miss Clawdy"
- Instrumental in transforming blues and R&B into rock and roll and also pure pop
- Brought full swing-band orchestration into R&B and rock and roll
- An underrated vocalist who possessed incredible power and clarity
- Epitomized classic New Orleans rock and roll
Early years:
A resident of the New Orleans suburb of Kenner, Lloyd often heard postwar R&B coming through the jukebox in his mother's fish-fry shack. Price, then a trumpeter, knew people in the business -- his brother Leo had written Little Richard's "Send Me Some Lovin'" -- and he managed to attract the interest of local impresario Dave Bartholomew (the guiding force behind Fats Domino). At his first demo session, Lloyd laid down an original called "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," which featured Fats himself on piano.
Success:
The single was an immediate sensation, a landmark in rock history and a defining moment in the development of New Orleans R&B. Soon after, however, Lloyd was drafted and sent to Korea. While there, he staged a play written about a notorious semi-mythical murderer named Stack-O-Lee. Upon his return his hits became more heavily orchestrated, in keeping with a concept he'd been working on for some time. Relocation to Los Angeles led to "Stagger Lee," the fruition of his big-band pop-R&B concept.
Later years:
Several hits followed, including "Personality" and "I'm Gonna Get Married," but when they dried up, Price was sitting pretty, having diversified into record labels, bowling alleys, boxing promotions, and other business interests. Although he made some infrequent apperances in the 70s and 80s, Lloyd had largely left the music business for good; in the Nineties, however, he joined the lucrative field of oldies package tours. Lloyd is also a mainstay at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Other facts:
- Was one of the first black artists to sign with Monument, and one of the first acts signed to Frank Sinatra's Reprise label
- His main songwriting and business partner, Harold Logan, was brutally murdered in 1969, causing Price to flee to Africa
- Lloyd was one of the promoters of Muhammad Ali's "Rumble In The Jungle" and "Thriller in Manila" fights in the mid-Seventies
- Under pressure from censorship groups, Price cut a "clean" version of "Stagger Lee"
- Has a street named after him in Kenner, LA
Awards/Honors:
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1998)
Songs, Albums, and Charts:
#1 hits:
Pop:
- "Stagger Lee" (1959)
- "Stagger Lee" (1959)
- "Personality" (1959)
- "I'm Gonna Get Married" (1959)
Top 10 hits:
Pop:
- "Personality" (1959)
- "I'm Gonna Get Married" (1959)
- "Just Because" (1957)
- "Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day)?" (1959)
- "Come Into My Heart" (1959)
- "Wont'cha Come Home" (1960)
- "Question" (1960)
- "Lady Luck" (1960)
Covered by: Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Freddy Fender, Little Richard, Doug Sahm, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, Johnny Winter, Otis Rush, Lou Ann Barton, Eric Burdon, Larry Williams, The Hollies, Mickey Gilley, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, Link Wray, Roy Orbison, Fats Domino, Carl Perkins, Anthony Newley, Wayne Newton, The Replacements, Trini Lopez, Dawn
Appears in the movies: "When We Were Kings" (1996)
