Mr Personality

New Orleans native Lloyd Price first found success in the early '50s on Specialty Records. After several hit singles for the label, his career was interrupted by the draft, and he went to Korea in 1954. When he returned from the war, he found that he had been replaced in his own band by none other than Little Richard, and his former driver, Larry Williams, was now cutting records for Specialty himself. Undeterred, Lloyd began recording again almost immediately. By the late '50s, his sound had morphed into a perfect blend of pop and New Orleans R&B, a sound that brought him to a wider audience. The classic track "Personality" hit number two on the charts, and "I'm Gonna Get Married" reached number three. Those two classics, along with 10 more great pieces of pop-tinged rhythm and blues, were included on Price's 1959 debut album, Mr. Personality, now reissued. Dig in.