Background
Reed was born in Portuguese Clinton, Ottawa County, Ohio, and sang in her local church choir.
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Lula Reed
Edit ProfileCareer
She had two Rhythm & Blues hits in 1952 as vocalist with pianist and bandleader Sonny Thompson, and later recorded with guitarist Freddy King. She was occasionally credited as Lulu Reed. She was mentored by blind gospel singer Professor Harold Boggs, before winning an audition over 50 other contestants in Toledo 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 in late 1951, on the song "I"ll Drown in My Tears" written by Henry Glover.
The song reached no.5 on the Billboard Rhythm & Blues chart in 1952, and was recorded by Ray Charles in 1956 as "Drown in My Own Tears", with wider commercial success. Reed"s next record with Thompson, "Let"s Call lieutenant A Day", also written by Glover, reached no.7 on the Billboard Rhythm & Blues chart.
However, Reed failed to have any further chart hits. King released an album of her recordings, Blue And Moody, in 1958.
Reed and Thompson recorded for the Chess Records subsidiary Argo 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 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, and later refused to talk about her career singing and recording secular rhythm and blues music She died in Detroit, Michigan 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.
Personality
She was a versatile singer, performing some gospel songs as well as blues and Rhythm & Blues. Her 1954 recording, "Rock Love", was later covered by Little Willie John.
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Born
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Died
June 21, 2008 (aged 82) -
Nationality
United States -
Ethnicity