b. Louis Allen Rawls, 1 December 1935, Chicago, Illinois, USA, d. 6 January 2006, Los Angeles, California, USA. Briefly a member of the acclaimed gospel group the Pilgrim Travelers, this distinctive singer began forging a secular career following his move to California in 1958. An association with Sam Cooke culminated in ‘Bring It On Home To Me’, where Rawls’ throaty counterpoint punctuated his colleague’s sweet lead vocal. Rawls’ own recordings showed him comfortable with either small jazz combos or cultured soul, while an earthier perspective was shown on his mid-60s release, Live! He achieved two Top 20 singles with ‘Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing’ (1966) and ‘Dead End Street’ (1967), and enjoyed further success with a 1969 reading of Mable John’s ‘Your Good Thing (Is About To End)’. Several attempts were made to mould Rawls into an all-round entertainer, but while his early 70s work was generally less compulsive, the singer’s arrival at Philadelphia International Records signalled a dramatic rebirth. ‘You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine’, an international hit in 1976, matched the classic Philly sound with Rawls’ resonant delivery, and prepared the way for a series of exemplary releases including ‘See You When I Git There’ (1977) and ‘Let Me Be Good To You’ (1979). The singer maintained his association with producers Gamble And Huff into the next decade. His last chart entry, ‘I Wish You Belonged to Me’, came in 1987 on the duo’s self-named label, following which he recorded for the jazz outlet Blue Note Records. In 2001 he released his first solo gospel album, I’m Blessed. Rawls, who succumbed to lung and brain cancer in January 2006, also pursued an acting career and provided the voice for several Budweiser beer commercials.
