Lula Reed (born Lula Marietta McClelland, March 21, 1926 – June 21, 2008)
Retrieved December 29, 2013 was an American

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

singer who recorded in the 1950s and 1960s. She had two R&B hits in 1952 as vocalist with pianist and bandleader

Sonny Thompson Sonny Thompson (probably August 23, 1916 – August 11, 1989), born Alfonso Thompson or Hezzie Tompson, was an American R&B bandleader and pianist, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Biography There is some uncertainty over Thompson's origins, as ...

, and later recorded with guitarist Freddy King. She was occasionally credited as Lulu Reed.

Background

Reed was born in Mingo Junction,

Jefferson County, Ohio Jefferson County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 65,249. Its county seat is Steubenville, Ohio, Steubenville. The county is List of Ohi ...

. As a child her family moved to

Port Clinton, Ohio Port Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Ottawa County, Ohio, United States, located at the mouth of the Portage River on Lake Erie. The population was 6,025 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Port Clinton micropolita ...

, where she sang in her local church choir.

Career

Reed was mentored by blind

gospel singer Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compos ...

Professor Harold Boggs, before winning an audition over 50 other contestants in

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Or ...

to become the vocalist with Sonny Thompson's band. Credited as vocalist on Thompson's records, she made her recording debut for King Records in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

in late 1951, on the song "I'll Drown in My Tears" written by

Henry Glover Henry Bernard Glover (May 21, 1921 – April 7, 1991) was an American songwriter, arranger, record producer and trumpet player. In the music industry of the time, Glover was one of the most successful and influential black executives. He gain ...

. The song reached no.5 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' R&B chart in 1952, and was recorded by

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

in 1956 as " Drown in My Own Tears", with wider commercial success. Dave Penny, ''Lula Reed'', Black Cat Rockabilly
Retrieved December 29, 2013 Reed's next record with Thompson, "Let's Call It A Day", also written by Glover, reached no.7 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart. Most of her later records for King were credited in her own name, although she continued to record with Thompson, who became her husband in 1954. ''Jet'', 9 September 1954, p.63
Retrieved December 29, 2013 She was a versatile singer, performing some gospel songs as well as

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

and R&B. Her 1954 recording, "Rock Love", was later

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

Little Willie John William Edward "Little Willie" John (November 15, 1937 – May 26, 1968) was an American R&B singer who performed in the 1950s and early 1960s. He is best known for his successes on the record charts, with songs such as " All Around the World" ...

.Biography by Bill Dahl at Allmusic.com
Retrieved December 29, 2013 She remained popular, being voted no.4 R&B singer in the ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' annual poll in 1954, and continued to record for the King label until 1956. However, Reed failed to have any further chart hits. King released an album of her recordings, ''Blue And Moody'', in 1958. Pete Hoppula, Lula Reed Discography, WangDangDula.com
Retrieved December 29, 2013 Reed and Thompson recorded for the

Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock an ...

subsidiary

Argo In Greek mythology, the ''Argo'' ( ; ) was the ship of Jason and the Argonauts. The ship was built with divine aid, and some ancient sources describe her as the first ship to sail the seas. The ''Argo'' carried the Argonauts on their quest fo ...

between 1958 and 1960, before returning to Cincinnati and starting to record for King's subsidiary Federal label in 1961. She released seven singles on Federal over the next two years, on many of them accompanied by Freddy King, but none made the charts. Accompanied by King and Thompson, she also released an album on Federal, ''Boy-Girl-Boy'', in 1962. She then moved to the

Tangerine The tangerine is a type of citrus fruit that is orange in colour, that is considered either a variety of the mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''), or a closely related species, under the name ''Citrus tangerina'', or yet as a hybrid (''Citr ...

label set up by Ray Charles, and recorded a series of singles in the early 1960s. Her final single was released in 1967. She then left the music business, due to her perceived lack of promotion by the last record company she signed with. She died in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

in 2008 at the age of 82. Several compilation albums of her recordings have been issued, including ''I'll Drown in My Tears – The King Anthology''.

Legacy

In Episode 4, Season 1 of ''Totems'' (2021), French CIA agent Virgil'e ( José Garcia) listens to Reed in his apartment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Lula 1926 births 2008 deaths American rhythm and blues singers People from Mingo Junction, Ohio People from Port Clinton, Ohio Tangerine Records artists 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers