"You're My Blessing" by Lou Rawls

Song#:  0147
Date:  04/26/1980
Debut:  88
Peak:  77
Weeks:  3
Genre:  R&B, Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  The man who Frank Sinatra said had "the silkiest chops in the singing game," put songs on the pop and R&B charts for almost two decades beginning in 1965. Rawls initially worked in gospel vocal groups but broke out on his own in 1962 with the jazz album "Stormy Monday." For the next several albums he would do albums that incorporated jazz, R&B, gospel, and big band. In performance, he would captivate audiences with his songs and with story monologues. This was all captured in his breakthrough album "Live!" in 1965. The same year he recorded his first fully R&B album called "Soulin'" that spawned the hit single "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing." (#13 pop/#1 R&B). He would continue to do R&B records and eventually win three Grammys for Best R&B Performance. His biggest pop hit came in 1976 with the great "You'll Never Find Another Live Like Mine" (#2, gold). He would later move back to jazz and continue to release albums through 2003. He passed away in 2006.

ReduxReview:  This is a pleasant enough song in that R&B/AC vein that Rawls did so well. It has the Gamble/Huff pedigree (the famous Philly-soul writing team Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff), but it is not one of their stronger songs.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  After a stint in the army, Rawls went out on tour with Sam Cooke and the Pilgrim Travelers in 1958. A truck that he was in with Cooke got into an accident. One person was killed and Cooke escaped with minor injuries. Rawls was actually pronounced dead at the scene, but ended up at the hospital in a coma for five days. He fully recovered but it took a year for him to do so.

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