Story Time with Lloyd Price

ON J(AIR)ED

Welcome Back! I had to take a substantial break from ON J(AIR)ED while I worked on some other projects, but it's great to be back! Firstly, A big thanks to the awesome folks at Kicking Horse Coffee for sponsoring this new season and for keeping me well caffeinated! The first thing you see on their site is a mug that says "wake up & kick ass" -- which about sums it up. Season Two kicks off with one of the "Godfathers of Rock n' Roll" -- Mr. Lloyd Price. Lloyd wrote hits like "Stagger Lee," "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," "Personality," "I'm Gonna Get Married," "Just Because," and my personal favorite, "Lady Luck." His life story reads like something out of fictional script -- he was the first artist to ever sell a million records, the first black artist to hit #1 on the charts, his music has been covered by artists like John Lennon, Elvis and James Brown, he was inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame and his story is now rightfully being taken to Broadway and to Hollywood. Lloyd's music was the first to bring black and white audiences together. During a time of intense segregation, teenage boys and girls of different races filled concert halls, sang together, danced together, and started a youth movement in America and changed things forever. Beyond his music career and social impact, Lloyd became an incredibly successful entrepreneur, promoter and businessman. From promoting the biggest boxing matches in history, to developing affordable housing in New York, to negotiating licensing deals in Africa for 10 years, it's safe to say that Lloyd Price has an innate drive to learn, create and thrive. On a cold day this winter, Lloyd generously visited me at my home to talk about his life. Now at 82-years-old, you'll hear that he remains as excited about life and possibility as someone a quarter of his age. Lastly, as a side note, due to all kinds of complications with licensing and copyright laws, we can't play Lloyd's tunes in this episode, so I've included links for you to check out. Hopefully we'll sort out that legal business as we move forward.