Theola Kilgore, born on December 6, 1925, in Shreveport, Louisiana, is an American singer known for her contributions to soul music. She grew up in Oakland, California, and began her musical journey through gospel choirs. In the early 1950s, Kilgore sang with the professional gospel choir Mt. Zion Spiritual Choir, which released a single produced by Ajax Records in 1955. Her transition to secular music came after meeting songwriter and producer Ed Townsend. In autumn 1960, Townsend produced her first secular single "The Sound of My Man" for Candix Records, a response to Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang". Kilgore's breakthrough came with the release of "The Love of My Man" in March 1963, which peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 3 on the Rhythm-and-Blues Charts. The song was a secular adaptation of the gospel tune "The Love of God". Later that year, her single "This Is My Prayer" also charted, reaching number 60 on the Hot 100. In 1964, Kilgore and Townsend founded KT Records, releasing the single He’s Coming Back To Me / I’ll Keep Trying. Despite initial success, KT Records folded after two years. Kilgore's final single was released by Mercury Records in 1965. After her secular music career ended, she returned to gospel music. Kilgore passed away on May 15, 2005, in Los Angeles. Her work "The Love of My Man" was recognized posthumously with a digital release in 2015.
![This Is My Prayer / As Long as You Need Me (Want Me, Love Me) [Digital 45]](https://cdn-images.dzcdn.net/images/cover/864ad026a09b83d08266faaf570aca33/120x120-000000-80-0-0.jpg)
