Lou Pride

b. 24/05/1950 in North Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. d. 06/05/2012 Born in Chicago's North Side. Performed solo at grade school, where support came from local pastors including Reverend Edward J. Cole the father of singer Nat King Cole. In the late 60s, Lou spent two years on US army bases in Germany, where he joined a group called The Karls. Returning to Chicago, he formed a Sam & Dave style duet with a friend called LC, called LC & Lou. Lou's manager Jim Dorman later persuaded Lou to start a solo career, moving to El Paso, Texas. Lou met Kenny Smith, who decided to sign Lou to Suemi Records (their publicity tag-line read: "If you don't like it, sue me!"), which he co-owned with Bill 'Sparks' Taylor, and which had recorded a variety of country and rockabilly artists, and had some success with Bobby Fuller. Signing over the years to various small labels, a consistent spell of recording and releasing albums had to wait until around the mid when Curtis Mayfield, a family friend, invited him to work alongside him in Atlanta, the release on Curtom being the result, continuing with the associated label Ichiban Records. Lou Pride had a strong following the UK, touring to great acclaim mainly due to the enduring power and longevity of the track "I'm Com'un Home In The Morn'un".