Lou Rawls

Way back when I started this thing last month, I said that Lou Rawls is likely more influential than John Rawls. Lou Rawls died last week and I've learned a few things about him that underscore that point. If you don't know who John Rawls is, I'll get to that in a moment.

Rawls began his career in 1960s and was a contemporary and sometimes singing partner of the great Sam Cooke. He was, for the most part, hard to classify - while he could sing gospel, jazz and r&b, he didn't really specialize in any genre. As a result, most people knew him for about two things - his 1977 disco-era hit "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine," a huge smash that nearly anyone who was beyond diapers at the time likely remembers well; and for his long-time association with Budweiser beer commercials. Rawls provided voiceover and vocals for the Busch family for nearly a generation.

But among Rawls's contemporaries, he was held in very high esteem - Frank Sinatra, among others, was a big fan;' Sinatra considered Rawls one of the finest singers in the business. And Rawls quietly used his fame for good work, including a long stint working with the United Negro College Fund on their telethon. Lou Rawls lived well.

John Rawls? He is viewed by many (especially those on the Left) as the greatest political philosopher of the 20th century. But I like Lou Rawls much better. I'll elaborate on the reasons in future posts.