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| Lou Rawls Is Dead The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People mourns the death of rhythm and blues icon and actor Lou Rawls who passed away January, 6 in Los Angeles after being diagnosed with lung and brain cancer. Grammy award winner with smooth vocal style often performed at NAACP events In the 1950’s along with his schoolmate, the legendary Sam Cooke, Rawls began touring with gospel group the “Teenage Kings of Harmony”, which provided the early foundation for soul music. After singing with Cooke and developing as an artist, Rawls’ career gained respect from artists such as Frank Sinatra because of his distinctive voice and flair as a first rate entertainer. Rawls recorded more than 75 albums and won three Grammy awards for hits including Love Is a Hurtin' Thing, Natural Man and You'll Never Find (Another Love Like Mine). In addition to singing, Rawls had a love for acting. Rawls acted in both independent and feature films, guest starred and hosted television series and appeared on Broadway. Although he never attended college, Rawls recognized the importance of an education and raised millions of dollars for black colleges through the annual United Negro College Fund telethon An Evening with the Stars. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |