Lowrell Simon facts for kids
Lowrell Simon (born March 18, 1943, in Chicago, and passed away on June 19, 2018, in Newton, Mississippi) was a talented American soul singer. He was known for his smooth voice and his contributions to music as a singer and songwriter.
Lowrell started his music journey as a singer in a group called The LaVondells. This group later changed its name to The Vondells. The Vondells, which included Butch McCoy and Jessie Dean, became quite popular in their region during the 1960s. They had a well-known song called "Lenore."
Forming The Lost Generation
After The Vondells broke up, Lowrell Simon decided to form a new group. He teamed up with several friends from Chicago to create a band called The Lost Generation. This new group quickly found success, scoring several U.S. hits between 1969 and 1974.
Solo Work and Songwriting
When The Lost Generation eventually went their separate ways, Lowrell Simon continued to make music. He contributed to the soundtrack of the 1974 film Three the Hard Way. He also wrote songs for other artists and groups. For example, he wrote tracks for the 1976 first album of Mystique, a band that included other former members of The Lost Generation.
Lowrell also wrote the song "Dance Master" in 1974 for Willie Henderson. Later, in 1979, he wrote the tune "All About the Paper" for the singer Loleatta Holloway.
Lowrell's Solo Career
In the late 1970s, Lowrell Simon began recording music under his first name, Lowrell. He signed with Liberace's record label, AVI Records. In late 1979, he released his own album, simply titled Lowrell.
The album featured a very popular song called "Mellow Mellow Right On." This song, released with "You're Playing Dirty" on the other side, became a big hit. It reached No. 32 on the U.S. R&B charts that year. It also became popular in the United Kingdom, reaching No. 37 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1979.
"Mellow Mellow Right On" has been very influential in music. Many artists have used parts of the song, a technique called sampling. Famous groups and artists like Massive Attack, Imagination, Big Brooklyn Red, and Common have sampled it. The song has also been covered by the dance music group L.A. Mix.
