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Entertainment: Legendary singer Rawls, 72, dies
Silken-voiced crooner Lou
Rawls, whose career covered
almost every form of
black American music from
gospel and blues to R&B,
soul and jazz, died Friday at
age 72 after a battle with
lung cancer, his spokesman
said.
The pioneering crossover
artist with the smooth voice
and a four-octave range was
known for such signature
hits as You’ll Never Find Another
Love Like Mine, Lady
Love and Love Is A Hurtin’
Thing. His 1960s “talking the
song” style on some recordings
was called pre-rap by
critics.
He once said, “I’ve gone
the full spectrum — from
gospel to blues to jazz to soul
to pop and the public has accepted
what I have done
through it all. I think it
means I have been doing
something right at the right
time.”
Even Frank Sinatra was a
big fan and once said Rawls
had “the classiest singing
and silkiest chops in the
singing game.”
Rawls died at Cedars-
Sinai Medical Center,
spokesman Paul Shefrin said.
He quoted the singer’s family
as saying he was 72 years
old but some reference
books place his age at 70.
Rawls won three Grammy
awards and 13 nominations
in a career that lasted more
than 40 years.
He made more than 60 albums,
acted in 18 movies,
including Blues Brothers
2000 and Leaving Las Vegas,
and appeared in 16 television
series, starting with a
small role in 77 Sunset Strip.
Rawls received many honours
during his lifetime including
having a street
named after him in Chicago.
He was born in the city’s
South Side.
Ill for more than a year
with lung cancer that spread
to his brain, Rawls recently
filmed public service announcements
for Hurricane
Katrina relief. His last public
performances were a series
of three concerts he gave in
San Diego in mid-November,
Shefrin said.
Last month, in an interview
with the Arizona Republic,
Rawls was optimistic
despite his cancer. “Don’t
count me out, brother,” he
said. “There’s been many
people who have been diagnosed
with this kind of thing
and they’re still jumpin’ and
pumpin’.”
Neil Portnow, president of
the Recording Academy,
called Rawls one of the
world’s most versatile vocalists
with “one of the most
recognizable voices anywhere.”
Posted on Monday, January 09 @ 10:04:47 UTC by jcohen
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