Monday, Dec. 25, 2006
Lou Rawls
Lou Rawls may be gone, but he should never be forgotten. The time and effort that he put into the United Negro College Fund by raising awareness and multimillions in the interest of higher education for African-American students have enriched the lives of so many. I believe the legacy he leaves is certainly his music — he always drew on his gospel roots as well as his Big Band arrangements from his early days — and his deep concern for his fellow man. There was only one Lou Rawls. To paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., everybody can't be famous like Lou, but we can all be great by giving service to our fellow man.
Franklin is the 17-time Grammy-winning Queen of Soul