Lou Rawls, Erin and Me…

I don't put myself in any particular category. Whatever the occasion calls for, I rise to the occasion. There are no limits to music, so why should I limit myself?

Lou Rawls

***Soulin’*** (1966) signed by Lou “Soulfully Yours”

Music is the greatest communication in the world. Even if people don't understand the language that you're singing in, they still know good music when they hear it.

Lou Rawls

I've gone the full spectrum - from gospel to blues to jazz to soul to pop - and the public has accepted what I've done through it all. I think it means I've been doing something right at the right time.

Lou Rawls

***You’re Good For Me*** (1968) signed by Lou

Lou Rawls is one of the great soul singers and like so many, he started singing in the church. He was lucky to have a great mentor in the immortal Sam Cooke, and their rendition of “Bring It On Home To Me” in 1962 with Lou supplying harmony is the definitive version for sure, with their call and response at its finest in the gospel tradition.

***Bring It On Home*** (1970) signed by Lou, seated in front of Norte Dame Cathedral In Paris

I first met Lou in 1991 when he was playing a week long gig at Blues Alley, a small jazz club in Washington, DC, housed in an 18th century carriage house with exposed brick. It is an intimate venue, with seats for 150, a small stage and fabulous acoustics. All of the greats have played there since it opened in 1965, and Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, and Sonny Rollins, are a few of the performers I saw there many years ago.

I was excited to see Lou in such a small venue. I invited a client and his wife, and with my wife, Erin, bought four tickets to opening night. As always, I brought some Lou albums from his vast catalog (and my deep library). I picked four of my favorites and left the other twenty-some-odd behind and we went to the show. Lou was in great voice and had a great quartet with him (piano, bass, guitar, drums). Lou bounded down the stairs from his dressing room, and commanded everyone’s rapt attention as he sang hits like “Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing”, “Lady Love”, “You’ll Never Find (Another Love Like Mine)”, and “See You When I Get There." He even included the Budweiser jingle which he sang at every show. He explained that Anheuser-Busch had been the principal sponsor of his telethon which raised funds for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), which to date had raised $80m (now over $200m). He was as loyal to them as they were to him. Yeah, Buddy!

***Silk & Soul*** (1972) signed by Lou “Golden Slumbers Fill The World!”

After the show, I excused myself from my wife and client and went up to his dressing room to meet Lou. He was very gracious and he was interested in a couple of the albums in particular. As Lou signed Silk & Soul, an obscure 1972 MGM release, I told him that he sang the definitive version of The Beatles’ “Golden Slumbers”. You need to start singing these songs again, I counseled him, and from 1971’s Natural Man, “Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin’” and “When I Fall In Love”. He seemed very thoughtful for awhile and then said, “Neil, I don’t have any of these albums and they’re all out of print. Would you mind making me some tapes? I’d like to give them to my music director and see if he can make up some arrangements, ‘cause we’re on the road for awhile.” Sure Lou, I’ll be happy too. Where should I leave them? “I’m staying around the corner at the Latham Hotel, just drop them off there, and I’ll put you and Erin on the guest list for Friday.”

I floated down the stairs and rejoined Erin and my guests. “Are you alright? Everything OK?” Erin asked, concerned with my nearly thirty minute absence. ‘Yes, everything’s great, Lou just wanted to spend some time talking about each album and track, and best of all, he wants me to make him some tapes.’ We left. Hurriedly. I had work to do.

So we went home and I made two ninety-minute cassettes with the albums Lou requested, along with some additional material. It was a labor of love which took nearly four hours. There was no point, click and drop into an iTunes playlist in those days: making mixtapes was grueling and time consuming. The next morning, though bleary, I dropped the tapes off at the hotel with a brief note.

That afternoon, I called the Latham Hotel. 'Lou Rawls, please?' Hold on. The phone rang through, “Hello, is Mr. Lou Rawls there please?' I nervously stammered . “Speaking, who’s calling?” comes the response in the most mellifluous baritone. Unmistakably Lou. 'It’s Neil Kirk, I just wanted to make sure you got the tapes.' “Hello, Neil, Yes I got the tapes, thank you very much. I’ll see you at the show on Friday, just check for your name on the guest list. See you then.” I hung up. Friday can’t come soon enough.

***Unmistakably Lou*** (1977) signed by Lou

Early Friday afternoon, Erin got a call from an old college friend and his wife who were driving from Atlanta to New York City, and they wanted to spend the night with uS in Georgetown. She tells them we’re seeing Lou Rawls, do you want to go? Of course comes the quick reply. They meet us at our house around 6pm and I tell them the story. They are impressed. I call Blues Alley to add them to our names on the guest list. “ You’re not on the guest list and Lou was just here for the sound check, and your name isn’t on the list. ” 'OK, I need 4 tickets for tonight. “ I’m very sorry, the show is sold out, and the wait list is already over fifty. Sorry.” The harsh click echoed in my ears. Now my confidence is starting to wane, and doubt is creeping. I am starting to perspire, and have difficulty swallowing. I’ll just call the Latham, Lou will straighten this out, I stammer to no one in particular. I call the Latham, “Mr. Rawls is not taking any calls” is the terse reply. Shaken, i leave a message for Lou. Now I’m falling hard and picking up speed.

Five or ten minutes later (it seemed an eternity), Lou Rawls calls me back. Erin is talking with her Mom, when Lou clicks in. She hangs up on her mom, with a curt “Mr. LouRawls is on my phone”, and she hands me the phone. I explain my predicament to Lou. He says, “ Don’t worry. You will be on the guest list with your friends. Just look under Neeeeeeeeeeil.” He drops his deep, buttery smooth bass, and my name becomes polysyllabic. It never sounded so good.

We go to the show at Blues Alley and we are seated to the left of the stage. The band is playing a nice blues vamp, Benny Golson’s “Killer Joe”, as a warm up. As the song ends, Lou comes on stage to great applause. He looks to his left, says “Hey how you doing”, looks center stage says the same, looks to his right, sees me and says, “Hey Neil, how you doing?” Now I am floating again. The show was masterful as Lou took us through his entire catalog of hits. One surprise was a new arrangement of “When I Fall In Love” which Lou gave me a knowing smile before he started.

***All Things In Time*** (1976) signed by Lou

***Shades Of Blue*** (1981) signed by Lou, with backing vocals by Cissy and Whitney Houston

After the show, we went backstage and I brought all the Lou albums I had. We took pictures, and he took us through all the albums, where they were recorded, where the pictures were taken, the players, it was fascinating. I handed him Shades Of Blue, an album on which Whitney Houston sang backup vocals, one of her first recordings when she was 15 or 16 years old. “Yes, she sang with me, I’ve known her mom (Cissy) from the old gospel days and I wanted to do her a favor.” Some favor. Lou also showed us his lucky gold chain which he always wore, and he was unfailingly kind and generous. We saw him several times after that initial run at Blues Alley, and we were always greeted warmly.

Frank Sinatra once said of Lou, “ he had the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game.” And he was one of the nicest men I’ve ever met.

See you when I get there Lou, indeed.