Biography
Lowrell Simon, professionally known as Lowrell, belonged to the Chicago soul ensemble the Lost Generation while scoring an '80s success with "Mellow Mellow Right On," a track that supplied source material for numerous raps and samples, most prominently Massive Attack's "Lately," Markie Dee, and Chicago rapper Common.
The Lost Generation's strongest commercial showing arrived via "The Sly, Slick and the Wicked," a number 14 R&B entry from summer 1970. Produced by Carl Davis of the Chi-Lites for New York-based Brunswick Records, the mellow ballad was co-written by group member Larry Brownlee, who died in 1978, along with Brunswick promotion executive Gus Redmond and Simon. Its powerful, shouting lead vocal was captured by engineer Bruce Swedien at Chicago's Brunswick branch studio and featured striking pre-sampling effects such as "wicked! wicked!" The single shared Record World's 1970 Record of the Year honor with the Jackson 5's "A B C" and generated sufficient revenue for Brunswick to acquire its independence from owner Decca Records. The lineup also contained Simon's brother Fred and Jesse Dean. An Ohio group later took the song title as its own name.
Although the Lost Generation never repeated that level of success, the group still charted with "Wait a Minute" at number 25 R&B in late 1970, plus "Someday" and "Talking the Teenage Language." After their final chart entry, "Your Mission (If You Decide to Accept It) Part 1" on Innovation Records, which reached number 65 R&B in fall 1974, the ensemble disbanded.
Simon contributed music to the soundtrack of the 1974 Gordon Parks Jr. film Three the Hard Way, starring Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, and Jim Kelly, an album that also featured the Impressions. In the early '80s he recorded for Liberace's AVI Records under the name Lowrell. His solo debut, Lowrell, issued in fall 1979, listed production credits for the Chi-Lites' Eugene Record, Bruce Hawes, arranger Thomas "Tom Tom 84" Washington, and leading local session players. The second single, "Mellow Mellow Right On," climbed to number 32 R&B in fall 1979, while other tracks that drew notice included the opening single "Overdose of Love," "You're Playing Dirty," originally the B-side of "Mellow...," and "Smooth and Wild."
Additional songs Simon wrote or co-wrote encompass "Keep on Playing the Music" by Mystique featuring Ralph Johnson from their 1976 Curtom/Warner Bros. debut, the popular album track "All About the Paper" by Loleatta Holloway on her self-titled 1979 Gold Mind/Salsoul release, and "Dance Master" parts one and two, a hit single by Chicago soul mainstay Willie Henderson in 1974.
The Lost Generation's strongest commercial showing arrived via "The Sly, Slick and the Wicked," a number 14 R&B entry from summer 1970. Produced by Carl Davis of the Chi-Lites for New York-based Brunswick Records, the mellow ballad was co-written by group member Larry Brownlee, who died in 1978, along with Brunswick promotion executive Gus Redmond and Simon. Its powerful, shouting lead vocal was captured by engineer Bruce Swedien at Chicago's Brunswick branch studio and featured striking pre-sampling effects such as "wicked! wicked!" The single shared Record World's 1970 Record of the Year honor with the Jackson 5's "A B C" and generated sufficient revenue for Brunswick to acquire its independence from owner Decca Records. The lineup also contained Simon's brother Fred and Jesse Dean. An Ohio group later took the song title as its own name.
Although the Lost Generation never repeated that level of success, the group still charted with "Wait a Minute" at number 25 R&B in late 1970, plus "Someday" and "Talking the Teenage Language." After their final chart entry, "Your Mission (If You Decide to Accept It) Part 1" on Innovation Records, which reached number 65 R&B in fall 1974, the ensemble disbanded.
Simon contributed music to the soundtrack of the 1974 Gordon Parks Jr. film Three the Hard Way, starring Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, and Jim Kelly, an album that also featured the Impressions. In the early '80s he recorded for Liberace's AVI Records under the name Lowrell. His solo debut, Lowrell, issued in fall 1979, listed production credits for the Chi-Lites' Eugene Record, Bruce Hawes, arranger Thomas "Tom Tom 84" Washington, and leading local session players. The second single, "Mellow Mellow Right On," climbed to number 32 R&B in fall 1979, while other tracks that drew notice included the opening single "Overdose of Love," "You're Playing Dirty," originally the B-side of "Mellow...," and "Smooth and Wild."
Additional songs Simon wrote or co-wrote encompass "Keep on Playing the Music" by Mystique featuring Ralph Johnson from their 1976 Curtom/Warner Bros. debut, the popular album track "All About the Paper" by Loleatta Holloway on her self-titled 1979 Gold Mind/Salsoul release, and "Dance Master" parts one and two, a hit single by Chicago soul mainstay Willie Henderson in 1974.