You’ll Never Find
Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s I was always into hard rock and metal. My first albums were Neil Young’s Live Rust and Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde. In 7th grade I got AC/DC’s Back In Black and Def Leppard’s Pyromania. I saw Van Halen on the Diver Down Tour and I practically lived at the local auditorium as acts like The Kinks, The Clash, and Ozzy came through. My dad didn’t really care for this kind of music but we were always able to find some common ground. There were two artists that we could listen to TOGETHER and both enjoy. Billy Joel and Lou Rawls. Dad was always singing Lou Rawls. Even after his throat cancer he would SING Lou Rawls. I remember one day my brothers little garage band was recording their music and they couldn’t find a blank tape so they took my dads Lou rawls tape and recorded over it. I was so pissed that during the night I swiped their tape and re-recorded over their stuff with 60 minutes of me singing and doing looney toons skits and making fart noises. My brother was pissed but Justice had been done. Years later I gave my dad some CD’s of Lou Rawls and we jammed out in his little apartment listening to “You’ll Never Find”, “Tobacco Road”, “Love Is A Hurtin Thing”, and “Dead End Street”. Dad and I loved Lou Rawls and last May he came to Boston. He wasn’t feeling well enough to go see him so my wife and I went by ourselves and watched this guy amaze us at symphony hall in Boston. I have so many memories of his music tied into my life and my own story. I always loved the way he made little people feel BIG. His songs were for all of us who know what its like to suffer and struggle and still find a way to smile. I heard he had cancer a while back (The same cancer that took my Dad few weeks ago) and I went to his web site a few months ago. He said quote
“I want to thank everyone for your prayers and expressions of love. Your concern touches me…but don’t count me out. There’s been many people who have been diagnosed with this kind of thing, and they’re still jumpin’ and pumpin.’ I’m thinking good thoughts.
Yeah Buddy,
Lou”
What a guy. What a voice. What an inspiration. Lou Rawls passed away this morning…He was 70 years old. I’m sure right now he’s giving my dad a private concert and I can see them both singing “You’ll Never Find…” Lou Rawls Thank you…and sing some Sinatra for my Dad up there. Show him how “Ol Brown eyes sings Ol Blue eyes.” I would like everyone to check out this song I posted below. Its called “Dead End Street ” Download it and enjoy one of THE coolest cats to ever swagger up to a microphone. Yeah Buddy!
