Nolan Porter facts for kids

Nolan Frederick Porter (born May 10, 1949 – died February 4, 2021) was an American R&B singer and songwriter. He released two albums and six singles in the early 1970s. His most famous song is "Keep On Keeping On." This song became very popular in the northern soul music scene. In 1978, the band Joy Division used the guitar part from Porter's song for their own song "Interzone." This was on their first album, Unknown Pleasures.

Nolan Porter's Life Story

Nolan Porter lived in Los Angeles, California. His first recorded song was a version of "Crazy Love" by Van Morrison. It came out in 1971 on the Lizard record label. He released two more singles on Lizard, including "Keep On Keeping On."

Later, he moved to a bigger record label called ABC. There, he released two more singles. One of these, "If I Could Only Be Sure," became a hit in UK dance halls. These dance halls played a type of music called northern soul. The famous musician Paul Weller later covered this song in 2004. Porter also recorded "Groovin' (Out On Life)" under the name Frederick II. This song was released on the Vulture label and became a small R&B hit.

Nolan Porter passed away at his home in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, on February 4, 2021. He was 71 years old.

Music Albums by Nolan Porter

Nolan Porter released two albums during his career.

His First Album: No Apologies

His first album, called No Apologies, came out in 1970. It was released on the Lizard record label. This album featured songs written by famous artists like Steve Cropper, Booker T Jones, and Randy Newman. It also included songs written by Nolan Porter himself. Many of the musicians on the album were former members of Frank Zappa's band, The Mothers of Invention. Lowell George played guitar on some of the songs.

Music critics liked No Apologies. One critic, Robert Christgau, said that Porter was a black singer who mixed rock and soul music. He praised Porter for taking other artists' songs and making them his own. He also noted that Porter wrote smart and rocking songs about racial identity.

His Second Album: Nolan

In August 1972, Nolan Porter went back to the studio to record his second and final album, simply titled Nolan. This album had four new songs. It also included new versions of older songs like "Groovin' (Out On Life)" and "If I Could Only Be Sure."

However, this album and its single "Singer Man" did not sell very well. The record labels he worked with closed down in late 1973. This brought an end to Nolan Porter's short recording career. He recorded more music later, but it was never officially released.

After his recording career, Porter continued to perform. He worked as a musician and comedian in Los Angeles nightclubs. He also performed in clubs in other countries, including Spain and the United Kingdom.