Arthur Prysock Jr. (January 1, 1924 Arthur Prysock, ''FindaGrave.com''
Retrieved October 30, 2016 or 1929 – June 21, 1997) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and R&B singer best known for his live shows and his deep

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

, influenced by

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously a ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

/ref> According to his obituary in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', "his heavy, deep voice projected a calm, reassuring virility."

Life and career

Prysock was born in

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in South Carolina, 11th ...

. Many sources give his birth year as 1929, but researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc state 1924 on the basis of official records. He moved to

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

as a young child, and then to

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, to work in the aircraft industry during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, singing with small bands in the evenings. In 1944 bandleader Buddy Johnson signed him as a vocalist, and Prysock became a mainstay of the live performance circuits. Prysock sang on several of Johnson's hits on

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

including "They All Say I'm the Biggest Fool" (1946), "Jet (My Love)" (1947) and "I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone" 1948), and later " Because" (1950). In 1952 Prysock went solo. He signed with Decca, who marketed him as a younger rival to Billy Eckstine, and recorded the No. 5 R&B hit, "I Didn't Sleep a Wink Last Night", with

Sy Oliver Melvin James "Sy" Oliver (December 17, 1910 – May 28, 1988) was an American jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader. Life Sy Oliver was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. His mother was a piano teacher, and his f ...

's orchestra. Spencer Leigh, "Obituary: Arthur Prysock", ''The Independent'', 22 August 1997
Retrieved October 31, 2016 Over the years Prysock gained a reputation as an emotive balladeer and as one of the most popular acts on the Chitlin' Circuit. He recorded R&B classics such as Roy Brown's " Good Rocking Tonight". In the 1960s, Prysock joined Old Town Records and did an R&B cover of

Ray Noble Raymond Stanley Noble (17 December 1903 – 3 April 1978) was an English jazz and big band musician, who was a bandleader, composer and arranger, as well as a radio host, television and film comedian and actor; he also performed in the United S ...

's ballad " The Very Thought of You" (1960) and a pop hit "It's Too Late, Baby (Too Late)" (1965). For

Verve Records Verve Records is an active American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Ca ...

, he recorded '' Arthur Prysock and Count Basie'' (December 12, 13, 14, 20 and 21, 1965, at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey), and ''A Working Man's Prayer'' (1968). He read verses from Walter Benton's book of poems against a jazz instrumental backdrop on his 1968 album, ''This is My Beloved''. Between 1960 and 1988, he released over 30 LPs. He also briefly had his own television show in the 1960s. In the 1970s, Prysock mainly played cabaret engagements; he gained his greatest fame during these years singing the jingle for the Lowenbrau television commercials. In 1987 he received a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

nomination for "Teach Me Tonight", a duet with Betty Joplin, and the following year received another nomination for ''

This Guy's in Love With You "This Guy's in Love with You" is a hit song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and released by Herb Alpert in May, 1968. Although known primarily for his trumpet playing as the leader of the Tijuana Brass, Alpert sang lead vocals on thi ...

''. His brother, Wilbur "Red" Prysock, was a tenor sax player who appeared on many of Arthur's later records. Prysock received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1995. In later years he lived in

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

. Stephen Holden, "Arthur Prysock, 68, a Rhythm-and-Blues Singer", ''The New York Times'', June 25, 1997
Retrieved October 31, 2016 He died after several years' illness from an

aneurysm An aneurysm is an outward :wikt:bulge, bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also b ...

at King Edward Hospital,

Hamilton, Bermuda Hamilton is the capital city of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and the main settlement of Pembroke Parish. A port city, Hamilton is Bermuda's financial and commercial centre, and a popular tourist destination. Its population of ...

, in 1997.

Discography

Chart singles

Albums

* ''I Worry About You'' (

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

LP-102, 1960) * ''Arthur Prysock Sings Only For You'' (Old Town LP-2004, 1962) * ''Coast To Coast'' (Old Town LP-2005, 1963) * ''A Portrait of Arthur Prysock'' (Old Town LP-2006, 1963; reissue: Verve V6-5012, 1967) * ''Everlasting Songs For Everlasting Lovers'' (Old Town LP-2007, 1964) * ''Intimately Yours'' (Old Town LP-2008, 1964) * ''A Double Header With Arthur Prysock'' (Old Town LP-2009, 1965) * ''In A Mood With Arthur Prysock'' (Old Town LP-2010, 1965) * ''Strictly Sentimental'' (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

DL-4581, 1965) compilation of material recorded 1951–1953. * ''Arthur Prysock Showcase: Songs That Made Him Famous'' (Decca DL-4628, 1965) compilation of early material featuring Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra. * '' Arthur Prysock and Count Basie'' ( Verve V6-8646, 1965 el. 1966 * ''Mr. Arthur Prysock and Guest'' (Old Town LP-2011, 1966) 3 tracks with Count Basie, plus 8 tracks previously released on singles. * ''Art & Soul'' (Verve V6-5009, 1966) * ''Mister Prysock'' (Verve V6-5014, 1967) reissue of ''Arthur Prysock Sings Only For You'', plus 2 tracks from ''Intimately Yours''. * ''Love Me'' (Verve V6-5029, 1967) * ''To Love Or Not To Love'' (Verve V6-5048, 1968) * ''I Must Be Doing Something Right'' (Verve V6-5059, 1968) * ''This Is My Beloved'' (Verve V6-5070, 1968 el. 1969 * ''Funny Thing'' (

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

SE-4694, 1968 el. 1970 * ''The Country Side of Arthur Prysock'' (

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

KSD-1064, 1969) * ''Where The Soul Trees Grow'' (King KSD-1066, 1969) * ''The Lord Is My Shepherd'' (King KSD-1067, 1969) * ''Fly My Love'' (King KSD-1088, 1970) * ''Unforgettable'' (King KSD-1134, 1971) * ''Arthur Prysock '74'' (Old Town 12-001, 1973) * ''Love Makes It Right'' (Old Town 12-002, 1974) * ''All My Life'' (Old Town 12-004, 1976) * ''Arthur Prysock Does It Again!'' (Old Town 12-005, 1977) * ''Here's To Good Friends'' ( MCA 3061, 1978) * ''A Rockin' Good Way'' (

Milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway, railway line, canal or border, boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks like Mileage sign, mileage signs; or they c ...

9139, 1985) * ''This Guy's in Love With You'' (Milestone 9146, 1986) * ''Today's Love Songs, Tomorrow's Blues'' (Milestone 9157, 1988)

Compilations

* ''The Best of Arthur Prysock'' (Verve V6-5011, 1966) * ''The Best of Arthur Prysock, Number 2'' (Verve V6-5038, 1967) * ''Arthur Prysock...Golden Archive Series'' (MGM GAS-134, 1970) * ''Arthur Prysock At His Very Best – Silk and Satin'' (

Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

PD-2-8901, 1977) * ''Compact Jazz: Arthur Prysock'' (Verve 841130, 1989) * ''Jazz 'Round Midnight: Arthur Prysock (Late Night Ballads and Blues)'' (Verve 527033, 1995) * ''Morning, Noon & Night – The Collection'' (Verve 557484, 1998) * ''The Best of Arthur Prysock – The Milestone Years'' (Milestone 9303, 2000) * ''Too Late Baby: The Old Town Singles 1958–1966'' ( Ace CDTOP-1401, 2014) * ''They All Say I'm The Biggest Fool: The Complete Recordings With Buddy Johnson (1946–1952)'' (

Jasmine Jasmine (botanical name: ''Jasminum'', pronounced ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family of Oleaceae. It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are wid ...

JASMCD-2609, 2014) * ''You Never Know About Love'' (Jasmine JASMCD-2737, 2022) two complete albums on one CD: ''I Worry About You'' and ''Arthur Prysock Sings Only For You'' plus 4 bonus tracks. * ''Early Years: Selected Singles 1946-1962'' (Acrobat ADDCD-3458, 2023) 2-CD

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prysock, Arthur Prysock 1920s births 1997 deaths Verve Records artists Milestone Records artists 20th-century American singers Musicians from Spartanburg, South Carolina