Social revolution.

"Lordy Miss Claudie" was the kind of song that got everybody into this black music thing, ah. Never before had white people been interested in that kind of music and "Lordy Miss Claudie" was such a big record and it kind of like started a social revolution because it was before Doctor King. It was before anybody had ever thought about integrating themselves in the South or anywhere in this country as a matter of fact. "Lordy Miss Claudie" they would come to see me, I mean "Lordy Miss Claudie" drew the people to come to see me. They would come black and white, the police would run them away from the door. They wouldn't let the blacks in. If it was white people I was playing for, if it was black or opposite, they would not come in. So I called it like a social revolution because never before the people wanted to mix they did not want to mix until that era of that music. And I thought that, that was most significant to me as it is now in my life and I'm just wondering why it hasn't, you know, that this has been recognized before about how important that music was in this country in the Fifties.

Did you see things change? Starting out in 1952 with "Lordy Miss Claudie" by the time you get to the end of the Fifties with "Personality" and "I'm Going To Get Married", these hits that you had, it was a very different environment, wasn't it? Here you are on Dick Clark and there's blacks and there's whites. Talk about how it changed.

Well two years after being in the service from 1950 through… 1950 through 1953 until the end of 1955 there was a major change. What had happened Elvis Presley was on the scene, Pat Boone was on the scene, lot of groups now, they, I don't know if the Everly Brothers was in but a lot of people now, beginning to try to get up on top of this music. You know if you listen to the rock and roll, the early years, you hear some bad, ridiculous music. I mean it's just terrible and people on Dick Clark trying to shake and shimmy, ah, there was a major change. The major chain was, the major change was that the music had went two ways; it was now black and pop, what did not change was Lloyd Price.

Pick it up.

Yes there was a major change in the music, in the late Fifties, after '55 me coming out the service. Of course in 1957 I recorded "Just Because". Ah, the major change was… Elvis Presley and ah, the Everly Brothers and a lot of white groups… there understand. I'm not sure whether or not Pat Boone was recording then, I think he recorded a little bit later but Patti Page, everybody now trying to sing this music to cash in on, on, on this particular sound of music. Ah, the new thing was, there was two charts: there was the pop chart and a rhythm and blues chart, finally. But what did not change - Lloyd Price. I never had what you call a black record. My records instantly went on the biggest stations in America, across the board. For example, "Stagger Lee" pop record, over three million records with non stop, it was like num., number one for eighteen weeks. I'm hearing the people saying that, this new group had a record for thirteen weeks, number one. Lordy, "Stagger Lee" was number one for eighteen weeks, on every hit parade the shindig, whatever shows they call back during that time. And the subsequent next eleven records, straight pop records, straight out the charts. Never had to worry about Blackjack was playing my records 'cause there was no such thing as Lloyd Price black record. So that was the most significant change that I seen in the music business, a chart that was called black music and white music. And I think the reason why that was for is because white people was recording black songs. And of course his. Elvis is the history and of course a lot of it were Pat Boone and other people who tried to do it. To answer your question, that was the change, I think was the two charts.

Around '55, '56, when there was backlash, a lot of records were being broken, segregationists were coming on making speeches.

Yes, yes, yes. I, I was in the service of course. And when I came out the service I had heard of these things happening. I, Elvis Presley was wiggling his hips and that was a no no in the South. The white people thought that that was a little too black for music business. They, they said that, ah, shaking your hips don't have anything to do with singing a song, you know what I mean, they much rather would have had Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett or Perry Como, somebody sing the song that's quiet. But nobody could stop evolution. The kids had got doctrinated by that beat, boom, boom, boom. And I guess, I know I'm not the question, I'm not answering, I'm not answering, asking the questions but why has there only been one Elvis Presley? I mean, what is this? You know I mean, do you hear what I'm saying? Because, the black music was so strong at that time, there could have only been one Elvis Presley and Elvis was very, very well promoted. It's sixteen years after the man's death he's still being promoted as the king of rock and roll. That's hogwash, that's hogwash. There was Clyde McFadden, ah, I mean there was a lot of people besides Elvis who could have been the king. Mainly myself but I, I don't want no title. You know what I'm saying? But, ah, if there is a king it's Lloyd Price but I, I'm not really looking for that 'cause it never was no backlash against me. My songs all had them cute little hooks. I didn't wiggle my hips. I had a big band and was always the professional, it was always right where it should have been, all the time. And when I performed, I was late maybe once out of 300 one-nighters, I was 45 minutes late in a snowstorm one time going to Buffalo. So, in Buffalo and everybody knows it snows in Buffalo. I don't know if that answers your question but I think the backlash didn't, didn't come from, from, from, from the, the population in America it same mostly from the South and a few people who didn't want to see this music because again here's what you're doing, remember when I say white people, white girls liked that music. They was coming around seeing them little black boys and shaking and stuff like that. That was a no-no in this country. And how everybody now, now we've gone a very, very long ways, everybody now got rhythm and I think that, that's the answer. It was really mostly for the girls not to like that music. I would think so.

Look into the camera and say your name.

Okay, should I say I'm Lloyd Price or just Lloyd Price?

Just Lloyd Price.

Lloyd Price.

Try again, looking right into the lens.

Lloyd Price.

Look back at me. Who started this thing that we call rock and roll?

Who started rock and roll? My first question would be, big business, ah to give it two titles. The next answer would be Alan Freed, you know, he sort of like gave it the name rock and roll. Ahm, I guess 'cause it for, for no other reason he couldn't call it rhythm and blues. I mean 'cause he had a different agenda, you see. Again, I hate to, it sounds racist but it's not, he had a different mix, he had another plateau he wanted to take it at the Paramount Theater in New York. At that time that was a no-no, for acts like myself we had to work the Apollo in the chitlin’ circuit. So in order to make it bigger you couldn't just always call it rock and roll you had to give it a new name. And again, I think it was big business or somebody had vision of business to give it two names.

What about the artists, one or small group of artists who were the first rock and roll artists?

You want to know the real truth? They had, they didn't have a clue. I mean they had no idea, all the artist wanted to do was get on the stage and sing. They had nothing to do with the name, had nothing to do with anything. I'm right there. I was there at the beginning, the middle and the end I had nothing to do with what they called it. You know what I mean. And when I looked in the, like who, why do you need 37 charts for the same music today? Because it's big business. It sells and it's, you can put that category, that category, that category. You got racks in the stores, miles of racks of different categories selling the same stuff. So I don't know what other name you can call it. I mean I can tell you this, the acts and the artists, the composers, the creators had absolutely nothing to do with it, it was strictly big business.

... call Elvis the king, Little Richard said, I'm the one, I started it, I was the first.

Let me ask you a question. Why didn't Elvis call it rock and roll? Why didn't Little Richard call it rock and roll when they first started recording, I'm recording rock and roll today. Did you ever hear anybody say that? No, it's not true. Elvis is not the king of rock and roll and I can tell you that emphatically. Little Richard is not the king of rock and roll because rock and roll is the big beat, that's skimm pow, skimm pa, that's Lloyd Price. Now whatever opinion you want to name it, whatever, I quit, I'm retired, I did it wonderful, you know, 'cause I had a great time with that. But I never wanted to claim a title to anything, I never called it rock and roll. I never called it rhythm and blues, all I know is that it had a big beat and people loved it. It's pulsating, indoctrinating, intoxicating, killed ya.

Was Earl Palmer important to that?

Earl Palmer was very important and I think he is the most underrated drummer in this country. Earl Palmer should, every time the Beatles cashed a check, Michael Jackson cashed a check, James Brown cashed a check, whichever drummer getting the payroll should call Earl Palmer and say, thank you Earl 'cause he's the one that started that beat, Earl Palmer.

Tell us about the fish fries.

Well actually my mother had a little club and we call it Fish Fry. It was a, every Friday and Saturday night she would have a fish fry. And, ah, my brother Leo and I, I would get on the piano and play the one or two songs I knew and he would beat the box, he'd beat the box. And that's really how I got into the music business because that's, it was such a warm thing that, ah, - I got lost, I got lost. - Start again?

Yeah.

Ah, the Saturday night fish fry, my mother had a little place, we called it a shop and she'd have fish fries on Saturdays and, and, and Fridays and Saturdays. So during the week my brother Leo and I we would play going and practice on the piano, I knew how to play two songs. Leo would stack a, a whole stack of beer, beer boxes and that would be his drums. He played drums for us during that period. And that's how I got very interested in music and of course my mother, she sung in the church and my father played a little guitar. And, ah, I guess we was all, had a little bit of talent in terms of music but I never considered myself great, a great singer or a great musician. We would just go out there and play for our own benefit. And I believe that was the beginning of my interest in, in the music business. And of course, before I started doing that as a real young kid, ah, people give me nickels and stuff to dance and Louis Jordan, I'm a very, very strong lover of Louis Jordan, I'd go out there and dance to all of his music, "Caldonia", "Saturday Night Fish Fry", "Boogie In The Barnyard". I'd do all the songs backwards and that was mimicking even during that time. Ah, my mother would tell me, don't do that and stop that and stuff but I continued to do that. And I think that was a real great influence on how I decided to become a, what I considered later, a musician and a singer.

Could you help us understand what the New Orleans' sound was. It's hard to define, parade rhythms and second line stuff.

Ah, the New Orleans' sound in terms of the commercial sound? The commercial sound of course is naturally that sound with the, the, the triplets, the pianos, the da, da, da, da, that came from New Orleans, the back beat came from New Orleans. Louis Armstrong came from New Orleans, that's the different sound, Pete Fountain, Al Hirt all different kinds of sound. Now the second line is used a lot in the Mardi Gras and the carnivals. The second line is, is a dance, that's more of a chant. [sings]. And I guess that's from our Indian influence, you know, there was a lot of Indians during the, the war and stuff like that, way back there. Those sounds probably just came along mostly to, as a chant. So there was really two sounds: the chant of the carnival and anybody can chant anytime they felt like that, any time you feel like singing, [sings] tooway packaway, oomba oomba tooway, I don't know what tooway mean but I sung it a lot when I was a kind in the Mardi Gras and everybody copied everybody. Professor Longhair had the, he played the triplets and he stomped, - well I'm going to New Orleans, I want to see the Mardi Gras. New Orleans, I guess you would call would be the mecca of the music, commercial music in this country. There's no other city in this country got all those different sounds like New Orleans has. So I guess, I don't know if that would answer the question but as best I know there was no rhythm and blues, there was no rock and roll, there was none of that before New Orleans and then later of course it went to Memphis and then to Detroit and L.A., but New Orleans was first. And I guess that's why they say the New Orleans' sound.