Lloyd Price

Our guest is Lloyd Price whose 1952 hit Lawdy Miss Clawdy set the tone for the upcoming Rock and Roll explosion and became one of the first big crossover hits from R&B to white audiences.    Clawdy kicked off a career that would see Price climb into the R&B top ten a total of fourteen times and into the Pop top three with Stagger Lee, Personality and I'm Gonna Get Married but that is only one side to Price's story. Over the course of his life, Lloyd was a record company owner, got the careers started of such artists as Little Richard and Wilson Pickett, bought out New York's Birdland and made it the first uptown R&B club, promoted prize fights with Don King including the Rumble in the Jungle, worked in food distribution, spent a decade in Africa and, now, has become an author.    And he did all of this while being a black man in a racially charged America. Lloyd's new book, Sumdumhonky, tells his story through vignettes from throughout his life, from growing up in the deep south during the 30's and 40's through his breakout in music and all of the challenges he faced by being a minority in a prejudiced society.    I was honored to talk to Mr. Price from his home north of New York.    Book: sumdumhonky by Lloyd Price   Audacity Trial Membership: AudibleTrial.com/VVN