By virtue of recording the classic R&B “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” in 1952, Kenner’s Lloyd Price is not just a pioneer of rock ’n’ roll, he just might well be the founding father. Besides recording several hits over the next 15 years, Price hasn’t been content to assume the role of an “oldies” performer and sit on his laurels. Instead, he’s displayed an aggressive entrepreneurial side which over the years has led him to develop his own line of stereos, clothing, food products and most recently, publishing an autobiography. The 78-year-old member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is now planning on going into show business. Price was recently in New Orleans to announce that he’s working on presenting a Broadway musical titled—not surprisingly—“Lawdy Miss Clawdy.”
“It’s not a new idea,” Price says. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about awhile. It’s my story from back in the day, and the introduction of music for teenagers. 1952 was just seven years after the war. Growing up in Kenner, we just barely had electricity and a lot of houses still didn’t have plumbing. It’s about me listening to Okie Dokie (a local radio deejay) and hearing him say, ‘Lawdy Miss Clawdy, eat those homemade pies and drink Maxwell House coffee.’
“That inspired me to write a song and bring it to Dave Bartholomew. We had adult music back then. I loved Louis Jordan, but that was adults’ music. Even Fats Domino’s ‘The Fat Man’ was an adult record. ‘Lawdy Miss Clawdy’ was a million seller, and it was the first record directed at teenagers. It broke down a lot of walls.”
Price won’t appear in the musical, which he hopes will open at the Mahalia Jackson Theater next year before hitting the road and making it to Broadway eventually. But he promises to be totally hands-on on the project. He’s enlisted music producer Phil Ramone as musical co-ordinator (16 Grammys), and will select the cast himself. When “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” reaches Broadway, he hopes to attract a Jamie Foxx or an Eddie Murphy to play his character.
“It’s a super script,” Price says. “And it’s all historically accurate. It’s absolutely a story worth telling.”
