Lloyd Price - Ain't It A Shame?

Released in January of 1953. One of the more potent rhythm & blues shouters of the 1950s, Lloyd Price began his career singing gritty New Orleans-style material for Specialty Records that made him a star on the R&B charts with numbers like "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" (1952) and "Tell Me Pretty Baby" (1953). However, in the late '50s he jumped to the ABC-Paramount label, and glossier production and more full-bodied arrangements helped him scale the pop charts, scoring hit singles like "Stagger Lee" (1958) and "Personality" (1959). Regardless of his surroundings, Price sang with just the right amount of swagger, and his authoritative delivery could cut through any studio band. Price's finest Specialty sides are collected on the 1991 compilation Lawdy!, and a strong sampling of his late-'50s material can be found on 1994's Greatest Hits: The Original ABC-Paramount Recordings. Lloyd Price was born in Kenner, Louisiana, on March 9, 1933. His mother ran a restaurant there called the Fish 'n' Fry, where Price got his start as an entertainer, dancing for tips to songs on the jukebox. He discovered his vocal talents singing in church, and when Fats Domino's "The Fat Man" became a hit at the end of 1949, Price decided he wanted to make music in a similar style. He and his brother Leo Price formed a band, and they landed a gig at a nightclub in Kenner. Legendary producer and A&R man Dave Bartholomew caught their show one night and persuaded Art Rupe to sign the act to his Specialty Records label. With Lloyd at the vocal mike, they cut a song he'd written called "Lawdy Miss Clawdy." (To Price's great surprise, Fats Domino was the piano player on the session.) Released by Specialty in 1952, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" rose to number one on the Rhythm & Blues charts, and held the top spot for seven weeks. Price's next four singles ("Oooh-Oooh-Oooh," "Restless Heart," "Ain't It a Shame," and "Tell Me Pretty Baby") would all reach the R&B Top Ten, but in 1954, he was drafted into the Army, and while Specialty would continue to release material they had in the vaults, none of them were hits. After his hitch in the Army was over, Price discovered Specialty was scoring hits with Little Richard and Larry Williams (the latter had briefly worked as Price's chauffeur) and had lost interest in him. He bought back his contract from Specialty and with the help of promoter Harold Logan, he started his own label, KRC (for Kent Record Company). In 1956, Price put out his first single on KRC, "Just Because," and when it began breaking out as a regional hit, ABC-Paramount licensed it for nationwide distribution, and he soon signed directly to the label. His ABC-Paramount releases boasted glossier production values and better promotion and distribution, and in 1958, "Stagger Lee" shot to number one on the Pop and R&B charts. In 1959, Price scored two more major hits -- "Personality" was a number two Pop hit, "I'm Gonna Get Married" peaked at number three Pop, and both tunes hit number one on the R&B listing.

Added 3 May 2026