Lou Pride

Lou Pride possesses a timeless blues and soul timbre that has graced no fewer than four solo albums, an array of singles, and innumerable live appearances by a performer celebrated for his commanding stage charisma and a vocal range that shifts from Bobby Bland-like growls into whispers before erupting into shouts.

Born George Lou Pride on May 24, 1950, in Chicago, he was raised on the city’s north side amid gospel traditions at First Baptist Church, where Reverend E. J. Cole, father of Nat King Cole, presided. A B. B. King concert attended with his mother redirected his ambitions toward blues singing. Little materialized until a two-year engagement performing service shows with the Karls in Germany; after returning stateside he partnered with a female vocalist known as JLC to create a Sam & Dave-styled duo whose chemistry led to marriage and a move to El Paso, Texas.

While residing in El Paso rather than his native Chicago, Pride issued the well-regarded Seumi Records singles “I’m Coming Home in the Morning” backed with “I’m Not Thru With You” and “Your Love Is Fading” paired with “Lonely Road” during the early 1970s. He later settled in New Mexico, where he continued recording numerous obscure and scarce singles alongside steady work in blues clubs and festivals. His touring credits encompass shared bills with Clarence Carter, Betty Wright, Koko Taylor, Kool & the Gang, and B. B. King. Additional 1970s releases included “Look Out on Love,” “We’re Only Fooling Ourselves,” “You’ve Got to Work for Love,” and “Been Such a Long Time.”

Pride’s debut album, Very Special, appeared in 1979 on Black Gold Records during his Albuquerque years and yielded both 45s and an uncommon 12-inch single that sustained his visibility. Black Gold followed in 1988 with Gone Bad for a Very Special Reason, an album that essentially replicated the 1979 track listing.

Upon returning to Chicago he connected with Reverend Charles L. Fairchild, who facilitated an introduction to Curtis Mayfield and the subsequent Curtom Records release Gone Bad Again. Though studio work remained secondary, Pride’s live performances captivated audiences with a voice that epitomized Southern soul in the tradition of Bobby “Blue” Bland, Z. Z. Hill, Bobby Rush, Little Milton, and the Taylors, Johnny and Johnnie.

Ichiban Records issued the compelling Twisting the Knife in 1997, and Ice House Records followed with I Won’t Give Up in 2000. Pride’s schedule stays densely booked, reflecting his identity as an indefatigable road veteran in the mold of B. B. King yet without equivalent recognition—one of the blues’ enduring hidden treasures. WMB Records released Love at Last, featuring fresh versions of several signature songs. His single “I’m Coming Home in the Morning” appears on The Wigan Casino Story (Goldmine GSCD72) and “Your Love Is Fading” on East Coast Soul Sounds CD6: For Lottery Winners Only; listeners may also encounter his moving interpretation of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World.”