American soul singer Lou Courtney was born in Buffalo, New York in 1943. He is known for having had a number of hits in the '60s and '70s including the top 20 hit 'Skate Now', a track he released in 1967 which launched his name as a soul singer. His musical career began in 1962 after he signed a record deal with Imperial Records initially recording under the name Lew Courtney whilst at the same time writing songs for other artists under his birth name Louis Pegues.
As a songwriter he wrote for some of the biggest names of the day including Chubby Checker and Mary Wells (for whom he wrote the 1964 hit 'Ain't It the Truth'). He also co-wrote with Dennis Lambert and the duo turned out a number pop songs for a variety of artists both in the US and UK. These included 'Find My Way Back Home' for The Nashville Teens, 'Do the Freddie' for Freddie and the Dreamers and 'Up and Down' for The McCoys.
After signing for Riverside Records in 1966 Courtney followed up 'Skate Now' with a number of dance based tunes and his mixture of ballads, funk, dance and R&B established his name across a wide audience including Northern soul fans and disco-goers. After a brief period as a member of The 5th Dimension in the late '70s, Courtney faded from the music scene.
