Soul and R&B guitarist, composer, singer and producer, Lou Ragland was born on July 18, 1942, in Cleveland, Ohio. While he never achieved a lot of commercial success, he still managed to carve out an impressive career. He learned to play several reed instruments in his youth but soon discovered R&B and formed his first college vocal group, The Monclairs. In 1963, he released his first single , “Never Let Me Go," with his group called Lou Ragland & the Bandmasters. In 1965, he joined Billy Ward & the Dominoes and sang lead for the group for a short time. Up-and-coming soul legend Edwin Starr introduced him to the Bell Records label and Lou Ragland signed a contract with their subsidiary label, Amy Records and released his debut single “I Travel Alone” (1967). The single went on to become a Northern soul dance floor classic in the UK and is now considered his signature song. He adopted the stage name Volcanic Eruption for a short time and released a single in 1969. Lou Ragland then formed a group called Hot Chocolate - not to be confused with the British band - and released a self-titled album in 1971. In 1977, he finally released his first solo album Understand Each Other. He founded the Great Lakes Records label in 1979 before relocating to Las Vegas, Nevada the following year. He issued the well-received soul single, “Didn’t I Tell You,” in 1982. By 1986, he had joined George Holmes’ Ink Spots (aka The World Famous Ink Spots) as guitarist and baritone voice. Never one to stand still, Lou Ragland formed the gospel group the First light and released two albums in 1986. He continued to be a busy recording artist and performer, even forming a vocal quartet called the Las Vegas Tenors. In 2012, the Numero Group label released a career-spanning anthology entitled I Travel Alone. Lou Ragland died on August 19, 2020, at the age of 78.
