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Copyright © 2002-2004
by James P. Hauser except where otherwise noted.  All rights reserved.

The Blues and Rock 'n' Roll Connections

of

Lloyd Price

Lloyd Price became one of the few established stars of R&B who was able to cross over to the white audience during the early years of rock 'n' roll.  In the first half of the 1950s, he was a major voice on the New Orleans music scene, helping to shape the sound of rock 'n' roll and paving the way for Little Richard.  Price was influenced by R&B artists Louis Jordan, Amos Milburn, Big Joe Turner, Roy Milton, and Fats Domino.  His first recording, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", included the piano of Fats Domino (another great R&B star who was very successful in making the transition to rock 'n' roll).  "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" was a huge hit--Billboard named it 1952's "Record of the Year" in the R&B category-- and it was also a sign of things to come in that it was one of the first black records on an independent label to cross over to the white audience.  The song was a reworking of "Junker's Blues", a trademark tune of the great bluesman Champion Jack Dupree.

Price followed "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" with a string of R&B hits which included "Tell Me Pretty Baby", "Restless Heart", and "Ain't It a Shame", but his career was interrupted when he was drafted into the Army in 1954.  By the time he got out in 1956, rock 'n' roll had taken America by storm and his record label Specialty had a new star in Little Richard. (Little Richard was signed to Specialty after Price suggested that he send a tape of his music to the label's Art Rupe.)  Price switched to ABC-Paramount and in 1958 he recorded his classic "Stagger Lee".  The record made him a bona fide rock 'n' roll star, and it was a major milestone for black music as it was the first rock 'n' roll style hit by a black musician which went all the way to number one on the white-dominated pop charts. (A few hits by black musicians, including Sam Cooke's "You Send Me" and several records by The Platters, became number one pop hits before "Stagger Lee", but they were all mellow love songs and R&B ballads, not rock 'n' roll.)  "Stagger Lee" also hit number one on the R&B charts.

Following "Stagger Lee", Price had a handful of other hits including "Personality" and "I'm Gonna Get Married".  His contributions to early rock 'n' roll have never been fully appreciated or recognized, but he was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

Price's songs have been recorded by many great rock and R&B musicians including Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Fats Domino, Little Richard, and Bill Haley.  Elvis Presley did a rendition of "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" which was included on his very first album.  Presley also sang this song on his incredible 1968 comeback television special.  For more of Lloyd Price's rock 'n' roll connections, read on below.

More of Lloyd Price's rock 'n' roll connections:

Lloyd Price records which have been covered by rock, soul, and R&B musicians and bands are listed below.

"Just Because" - John Lennon

"Lawdy Miss Clawdy" - Elvis Presley, The Buckinghams, Jimi Hendrix, Roy Orbison, Paul McCartney, Swinging Blue Jeans, Eric Burdon, Joe Cocker, Fats Domino, Commander Cody, Bill Haley, Ronnie Hawkins, Little Richard, Johnny Rivers, Link Wray

"Stagger Lee" - Wilson Pickett, Isley Brothers (featuring Jimi Hendrix on guitar), James Brown, Ike and Tina Turner, Bill Haley, Dion, Fats Domino, Huey Lewis and the News, Tommy Roe, Johnny Rivers, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Fats Domino

In the mid 1990s, Beck (aka Beck Hansen) released a remix of one of his hits which he titled "The Lloyd Price Express".  According to some Beck fans, the record was named after Price because it samples his music.

The Lloyd Price--Beatles Connection

Lloyd Price's music was a big influence on The Beatles.  According to Bill Harry's The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia, two of Price's songs, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "Mailman Blues", were part of the repertoire of  John Lennon's early band The Quarry Men.  The book also points out that "Mailman Blues" was played by other Liverpool bands including Rory Storm & The Hurricanes.  The Quarry Men also regularly performed "Bony Moronie", a song penned by Larry Williams which was influenced by Price's "Lawdy Miss Clawdy."  The rhymed title "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" was the source of inspiration for the title "Bony Moronie" and the titles of two other songs written by Williams ("Dizzy Miss Lizzy" and "Jelly Belly Nellie"). 

The Beatles, who were big fans of Williams, recorded three of his songs:  "Dizzy Miss Lizzy", "Bad Boy", and "Slow Down".  Before he got his own recording contract, Williams worked as Price's piano player and valet.  He even recorded two of Price's songs:  "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "Just Because".  Both of these tunes appeared on oldies albums recorded by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.  McCartney's album CHOBA B CCCP includes a rendition of "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll has a beautiful version of "Just Because".  All of this demonstrates that while Williams is widely acknowledged as a seminal influence on The Beatles, when you start untangling those influences you often find the figure of Lloyd Price standing behind them.

"Stagger Lee":  The Forerunner of Gangsta Rap

Stagolee (also known as Stack O' Lee, Stackerlee, Stagger Lee, etc.) is a legendary black badman from the African-American oral tradition.  In his book Stagolee Shot Billy, Cecil Brown, the world's foremost authority on the legend, pointed out that Stagolee's story is one of the important roots of gangster rap.  Lloyd Price's "Stagger Lee" was the first rock 'n' roll record dealing with the legend of the feared badman, and it is hugely  important because it played a major part in transforming the image of Stagger Lee from that of a criminal to that of a hero for black freedom. 

Because the song tells the story of a murder, Dick Clark's popular TV program, American Bandstand, would not allow Price to perform it on the show unless he changed the lyrics to remove the violence.  Price agreed to change the lyrics and then appeared on the show.  By turning the African-American tale into a hit rock 'n' roll record, Price was instrumental in making Stagger Lee's story a part of American popular culture.  For more information, check out The Stagger Lee Files which includes the essay "Stagger Lee:  From Mythic Blues Ballad to Ultimate Rock 'n' Roll Record". 

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