Lou Ragland

Lou Ragland has worked across soul music for decades as a singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and label operator, turning out strong and varied recordings since the early 1960s even though commercial breakthrough remained out of reach; devoted listeners in both the United States and Great Britain have embraced his output all the same. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 18, 1942, he absorbed a passion for music from his parents and, while still young, mastered alto sax, clarinet, and tuba. At age thirteen he encountered Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, an experience that ignited lasting enthusiasm for doo wop and vocal R&B, prompting him to add guitar and organ to his instrumental skills. During high school he assembled the vocal group the Monclairs and secured his initial professional opportunity by joining the backing band of vocalist Kim Tolliver, a locally popular figure in Cleveland. He next assembled his own ensemble and, in 1963, issued his debut single as Lou Ragland & the Bandmasters, coupling “Never Let Me Go” with “Party at Lester’s.” A brief tenure with Billy Ward & the Dominos followed, after which Ragland cultivated a friendship with fellow Cleveland soul singer Edwin Starr. When Starr’s profile rose through his Ric Tic Records deal—later absorbed by Motown—he arranged for Ragland to sign with Bell Records. In 1967 Bell’s Amy subsidiary released “I Travel Alone” backed with “Big Wheel,” a record that never became a major hit yet found favor among British Northern Soul collectors and strengthened Ragland’s standing among R&B audiences. Returning to Cleveland, he performed for a time as Volcanic Eruption and placed a single on the local Way Out label in 1969 before founding the funk/soul band Hot Chocolate, distinct from the British group of the same name. Hot Chocolate’s 1971 album appeared on Co Co Cleveland, a label Ragland helped establish, and he also served as a principal at another Cleveland soul imprint, Saru Records. Warner Brothers Records signed him in 1973 and issued the single “Since You Said You’d Be Mine” backed with “I Didn’t Mean to Leave You,” though the release made little chart impact. Ragland responded by launching SMH Records and releasing “What Should I Do” backed with “Understand Each Other” in 1974; the album Understand Each Other followed on SMH in 1977. Two years later he created Great Lakes Records, but Cleveland’s economic decline at the close of the 1970s prompted his relocation to Las Vegas. There he continued performing and recording, forming the Great Lakes Orchestra and starting Casino Records with a cassette-only album in 1983. That same year Edwin Starr organized the Ric Tic Revue, a United Kingdom tour spotlighting Midwest soul artists of the 1960s, and invited Ragland to participate, giving him his first direct exposure to his ardent British supporters. Subsequent periodic tours of the U.K. ensued, and in 1986 Ragland joined the Ink Spots, contributing vocals and guitar to the storied vocal ensemble. He also assembled the gospel group the First Light and released two albums of spiritual material in 1986. Throughout the remainder of the 1980s and into the 1990s he stayed active as a performer and recording artist while forming the quartet the Las Vegas Tenors alongside three other classic-era soul singers. In 2012 the reissue label the Numero Group collaborated with Ragland on a comprehensive anthology issued as the three-CD or four-LP set I Travel Alone.