Lloyd Price

Lloyd Price’s first song, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", was released in 1952. It hit #1 and was "R&B Record of the Year" in both Billboard and Cashbox Price was awarded Cashbox's "Best New R&B Singer of 1952.” “Lawdy” was the first song by a teenager to sell over a million copies, knocking down the race music wall and opening the doors to both Black and young musicians. His career came to a halt when he was drafted and sent to Korea. Before he left, he got Little Richard his first recording contract. When Price returned home, he released two of his biggest hits back to back, “Personality” and "Stagger Lee." As an entrepreneur, Price was the first musician of any color to start his own label as well as the first Black person to open a nightclub below Harlem in New York City. In 1995, “Lawdy” was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.” Price was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.