Lou Rawls, a renowned American singer, songwriter, and actor, was born on December 1, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois. His father abandoned his family, and Lou was subsequently raised by his grandmother. The young Rawls' first encounter with music was at the tender age of seven, when he sang in a Baptist church choir. His early exposure to music was largely influenced by the Chicago Regal Theatre, where he had the opportunity to witness the best in black entertainment, including Billy Eckstine and Arthur Prysock. Rawls and his classmate, the legendary Sam Cooke, would often harmonize in the school lavatory.
Rawls' formal education took him to Dunbar Tech. School, where he eventually graduated. He then joined the touring gospel singing group, the Pilgrim Travelers, before leaving the group in 1956 to enlist in the US Army. During his time in the military, Rawls rose to the rank of Sergeant with the Screaming Eagle Paratroopers. In 1958, he was involved in a serious automobile accident that resulted in the loss of one life, and Rawls was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital. However, he miraculously survived the coma and subsequent memory loss that lasted for several months.
Sam Cooke, who was also in the automobile, escaped uninjured. Rawls' remarkable four-octave vocal range caught the attention of Capitol Records producer Nick Benet, who noticed him performing at a Pandora's Los Angeles coffee shop. This led to Rawls' debut performance at the Hollywood Bowl in 1959, alongside Dick Clark.
Rawls went solo in 1964 and has since won four Grammy Awards. In the mid-1970s, he joined the Anheuser Busch Brewery as a corporate spokesman. He has been presenting a series of worldwide concerts for American military bases, co-sponsored by Anheuser Busch, the USO, and the US Department of Defense, since 1980. During Christmas of 1983, he embarked on a tour of US bases in the Philippines, Korea, and Japan.
Throughout his illustrious career, Rawls has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for black colleges and has annually sponsored a celebrity golf tournament in Los Angeles to benefit the United Negro College Fund. In recognition of his contributions, South Wentworth Street in Chicago was renamed Lou Rawls Drive in his honor. Additionally, Rawls has lent his voice to the animated feline character "Garfield" in various productions.
