Lou Pride

Lou Pride - Keep On Believing - 2005 - Severn Records

"… [Lou] is carving out his place in music history proudly and bravely carrying the torch of master soul-blues crooner, in the footsteps of Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and Bobby Bland." - Steve Cagle, KVMR Radio

"For those of you who enjoy blues that blends funk with the urban experience in a relevant way… nobody is better equipped than Lou Pride to deliver high-octane R&B like the Lord intended it to be." - George Seedorf, Big City Blues

Once an under-recorded soul bluesman, Lou Pride is making up for lost time. This 2005 release is his third album of predominantly new and original material since 2000, not including a terrific set of 1970-1973 sides reissued by Severn in 2003. Pride kicks off with "Midnight Call," one of his best songs and a perfect indication of his Southern soul/blues roots. There is a bit of Al Green's Hi rhythm section in the thumping drums and longtime associate Benjie Porecki's powerful Hammond B-3. Post-heart attack, Pride's voice remains in fine form, bending notes and sliding from a gruff bottom to a sweet upper register like a combination of Howard Tate, Bobby Bland, and Johnnie Taylor. Although the 12 originals all written or co-written by Pride are uniformly solid, it's on Bob Marley's "Waiting in Vain," the disc's only cover, that Pride finds the blues by tapping outside material, possibly something he should do more often. A remake of his 1972 hit "I'm Com'un Home in the Morn'un" and horn arrangements by the great Willie Henderson bolster the retro production. The backing vocalists, horns, and live-in-the-studio sound all seem grabbed out of the mid-'70s Memphis soul boom, which is high praise indeed. Jon Moeller's short, crisp guitar solos recall Steve Cropper's in their concise attack and the horns that punctuate most of the tracks are wonderfully arranged for maximum effect. Only the album's extended length is to its detriment. At a full hour, the disc is subject to diminishing returns as the songs unfurl. There is a similarity to the approach that, although not a problem when each track is played individually, becomes a bit staid over the duration. The slow blues of "Sunrise" comes as a much needed change of pace on an album that could have been more powerful if it had been trimmed by about four tunes. Regardless, this is emotional, gritty Southern-fried R&B sung by a master and recorded with old-school charm. It's an all but dying art form and one Lou Pride is proud to keep alive. © Hal Horowitz © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/keep-on-believing-r797729/review

Unleashing that big voice from the Windy City, Lou Pride reaches new heights with Keep on Believing, his third album on Severn Records. Lou delivers 11 powerful new originals, topping them off with a beautifully soulful version of the Bob Marley classic "Waiting in Vain," and a remake of his own 1972 hit on the English Northern Soul scene "I'm Com'un Home in the Morn'un." Sparked by the horn arrangements of the great Willie Henderson (Tyrone Davis, Chi Lites), Lou leads us to a righteous place where Chicago blues meets Memphis soul. © http://www.severnrecords.com/site/albumdetail.asp?rid=35

"Keep On Believing" was inspired by Lou's late friend and mentor, the legendary Curtis Mayfield. Before he died, Curtis was paralyzed from the neck down. Lou says, “But I never saw him without a smile. He always used to tell me, ‘Lou, don’t ever give up believing. You got to hold on to your dream. Another thing I learned about R&B from Curtis is that every song has to tell a story. What’s important about telling a story is that it sounds real, so the people who buy my albums or come to my shows can relate to it, and maybe say, ‘Hey, that happened to me. I always keep my ears open for things people might say and observe what they do, because even an off-hand remark or something that seems insignificant can suggest a song. In fact, if you saw me driving my van around the streets of Chicago, you’d think I was crazy because I’m always mumbling to myself and writing lyrics down on pieces of paper. One of those little pieces could lead to a big song. My goal is to keep on working at what I do. I’m on top of my art and my music, and like my song says, I’m going to hold on to my dream.”The album is a masterful vocal-driven soul, R&B, and blues album from the great Chicago born vocalist and HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Lou's outstanding "Gone Bad Again" album and support real music.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Midnight Call - Pride 4:09
2 Waiting in Vain - Marley 4:01
3 I Can't Hold It - Gomes, Pride 4:25
4 I'm Com'un Home in the Morn'un - Pride 5:19
5 Love Will Make It Alright - Pride 5:27
6 I Want to Hold Your Hand - Pride 5:06
7 Another Broken Heart - Pride 5:05
8 Real Deal - Gomes, Pride 3:37
9 Sunrise - Pride 4:30
10 Without Your Love - Pride 4:47
11 I Wanna Be the Man You Want - Henderson, Pride 4:22
12 Layin' Eggs - Gomes, Pride 4:10
13 Hold on to Your Dream - Pride 4:24

MUSICIANS

Lou Pride - Vocals
Walter Namuth, Jon Moeller - Guitar
Steve Gomes - Bass
Benjie Porecki - Fender Rhodes, Hammond Organ
Jeff Antoniuk - Tenor Sax, Flute
Rob Stupka - Drums
Victor Williams - Percussion
Scott Silbert, Ronny Diehl - Baritone Sax
Scott Young - Alto Sax, Flute
Kenny Rittenhouse, Kevin Burns - Trumpet
John Jensen - Trombone
Willie Henderson - Horn Arrangements
Meg Murray, Lady Mary, Eddie Jones, Earl Jones, John Butler - Background Vocals

DETAILED MUSICAL CREDITS

Lou Pride: Vocals
Jon Moeller: Guitars
Benjie Porecki: Hammond Organ, Fender Rhodes
Steve Gomes: Bass
Robb Stupka: Drums
Victor Williams: Percussion
Walt Namuth: Lead Guitar track 5
Meg Murray: Background Vocals tracks 1 and 7
Earl Jones: Background Vocals tracks 6, 10, and 13
Eddie Jones: Background Vocals tracks 6, 10, and 13
Margie Clarke: Background Vocals tracks 1, 2, and 5
Lady Mary: Background Vocals tracks 1, 2, and 5
John Butler: Background Vocals tracks 1, 2, and 5
Kevin Burns: 1st Trumpet
Kenny Rittenhouse: 2nd Trumpet
Scott Young: Alto Saxophone and Flute
Jeff Antoniuk: Tenor Saxophone and Flute
Scott Silbert: Baritone Saxophone
Ron Diehl: Baritone Saxophone
John Jensen: Trombone

BIO

Lou Pride has a classic blues/soul voice that has found its way onto at least four solo albums, a slew of singles, and countless performances as an in-demand blues performer renowned for his electrifying stage presence and Bobby Bland ish growl to whisper to shout delivery. George Lou Pride -- born May 24, 1950 in Chicago -- grew up on the north side of the Windy City into gospel roots; he attended First Baptist Church pastored by Reverend E. J. Cole, Nat King Cole's father. But after watching a B. B. King performance with his mom, blues singing became a career goal. Nothing much happened until a two year stint singing with the Karls on service shows in Germany; upon returning home he formed a duet with a female singer who went by the initial's JLC; the pair had a Sam & Dave type act and got along so well they married and settled in El Paso, TX. It was while living in El Paso not Chi-town (a blues city) that Pride cut the acclaimed singles "I'm Coming Home in the Morning" b/w "I'm Not Thru With You" and "Your Love Is Fading" b/w "Lonely Road," on Seumi Records in the early '70s. He relocated to New Mexico and all told cut many, obscure hard to find singles while plying his trade in blues clubs and festivals. Pride's road resume include performing gigs with Clarence Carter, Betty Wright, Ko Ko Taylor, Kool & the Gang, and B. B. King. Other 1970s' singles include: "Look Out on Love," "We're Only Fooling Ourselves," "You've Got to Work for Love," and "Been Such a Long Time." He cut his first album, Very Special, in 1979 while living in Albuquerque, NM, for Black Gold Records. It spawned 45s and even a 12" single (an oddity for a blues performer) and kept Pride out there burning rubber. A second Black Gold album, Gone Bad for a Very Special Reason that dropped in 1988, was a virtual track-by-track reissuing of the 1979 LP. He came home (Chicago) and befriended Reverend Charles L. Fairchild who introduced him to Curtis Mayfield, the connection resulted in Gone Bad Again on Curtom Records. Recordings were almost a sideline for Pride; performing live was his focus, and the soulful singer mesmerized rooms with a voice that could serve as a Southern soul paradigm embodying the greatness of Bobby "Blue" Bland, Z. Z. Hill, Bobby Rush, Little Milton, Johnny, and Johnnie Taylor. Ichiban Records released Pride's riveting Twisting the Knife set in 1997 and Ice House Records blessed us with I Won't Give Up (2000). The singer's calendar doesn't have many blank days and there lies the essence of Lou Pride, a true music road dog, just like B. B. King, but without the acclaim and fanfare: one of blues best kept secrets. WMB Records issued Love at Last, which contains re-recordings of some of Pride's finest efforts. You can find his single "I'm Coming Home in the Morning" on The Wigan Casino Story (Goldmine GSCD72) and "Your Love Is Fading" on East Coast Soul Sounds CD6: For Lottery Winners Only; and do check out his heartfelt rendition of James Browns' "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World." © Andrew Hamilton © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lou-pride-p13985/biography