Lou Ragland obit

Lou Ragland, Cleveland soul legend and singer for The World Famous Ink Spots, dies at 78

 

He was not on the list.

LAS VEGAS -- Cleveland native and R&B-soul-funk legend Lou Ragland, died Aug. 19 at his home in Las Vegas. Ragland, best known as lead vocalist of The World Famous Ink Spots was 78. A cause of death was not revealed.

Ragland was not a founding member of the Ink Spots, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 as early influences. But the musical journeyman joined one of many iterations of the legendary vocal group in 1978 as a guitarist and vocalist.

Prior to that, while mainstream success eluded Ragland, he enjoyed a cult following nationally, from classic tracks such as “Understand Each Other,” “Since You Said You’d Be Mine” and “I Travel Alone.”

“I have close to 200 songs, and I’m always known for doing original material,” Ragland told The Plain Dealer in 2012. “I don’t know which ones people liked the most. The songs never got big airplay, they were just club songs.

“I didn’t listen to anybody else’s music to develop a style of my own, so my songs don’t sound like anybody. I just play them because they make people dance, they have good lyrics and tell good stories.”

Born in 1942, Ragland grew up in a musical and creative family. He learned to play multiple instruments as a child, including the alto sax, clarinet and tuba.

“My father was a filmmaker and my mother sang in the choir -- it was around me all of the time,” Ragland said. “We were more well off economically than most, even though I didn’t know it then.”

Frankie Lymon’s version of “Goody Goody” inspired Ragland, who at the time was just 12 years old.

“The first time I was on stage was at the WHK Auditorium when I was 14,” Ragland said. “(East Tech High School booster club volunteer), Ms. (Ernestine) Ross had a talent contest. She probably got everybody in Cleveland started -- Bobby Womack, Edwin Starr, Sonny Turner. All of us.”

After forming his own vocal group The Monclairs while still in high school, Ragland’s first gig as a professional musician came as a backing band member for singer Kim Tolliver.

“It was wonderful to me to have close to 70 clubs to play at in Cleveland’s East and West Side, and to create my own songs and make a living with it,” Ragland said.

Ragland released numerous albums throughout his career and started the Great Lakes record label. But the latter part of his life was centered on his relocation to Las Vegas and his work with The World Famous Ink Spots.

“I own the copyright and name,” he said in 2012. When he was performing as part of a residency at the Alexis Park Resort he was running the city of Las Vegas’ media arts program.

Ragland and local music legends Vel Scott, Eddie Baccus Sr., Eugene Ross and “Crazy Marvin” Braxton will be the focus of upcoming documentary “Soul City Cleveland,” which is due out in 2021.

When asked if he was a Cleveland soul and funk legend, Ragland replied, “Probably, if they say I am. The one thing I know is my music will make you dance.”

Ragland is survived by his wife of 27 years Stella, eight children and numerous grandchildren. Plans for a memorial service are pending.