Arthur Prysock

Arthur Prysock (January 2, 1929 – June 14, 1997) was an American jazz singer best known for his live shows and his baritone influenced by Billy Eckstine.

Life and career

Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Prysock moved to Hartford, Connecticut to work in the aircraft industry during World War II. In 1944 bandleader Buddy Johnson signed him as a vocalist, and Prysock became a mainstay of the live performance circuits. Prysock sang on several of Johnson’s hits on Decca Records ("Jet My Love", 1947 and "I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone", 1948) and later on Mercury Records ("Because", 1950).

In 1952 Prysock went solo and signed with Decca to record the R&B hit, "I Didn’t Sleep a Wink Last Night". He recorded R&B classics such as Roy Brown's "Good Rocking Tonight". In the 1960s, Prysock joined Old Town Records and did an R&B cover of Ray Noble's ballad "The Very Thought of You" (1960) and a pop hit "It’s Too Late Baby, It’s Too Late" (1965). For Verve Records he recorded Arthur Prysock and Count Basie (12, 13, 14, 20 and 21 December 1965, at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey), and A Working Man's Prayer (1968). He read verses from Walter Benton's book of poems against a jazz instrumental backdrop on his 1968 album, This is My Beloved.

In the 1970s, Prysock had a surprise disco hit with "When Love Is New" (Old Town, 1977) and in 1985, recorded his first new album in almost a decade, A Rockin' Good Way (Milestone). He gained further attention for his tender, soulful singing on a beer commercial, "Tonight, tonight, let it be Löwenbräu." The selection whose lyrics were revised for the Löwenbräu Beer jingle was originally titled "Here's To Good Friends."

His brother, Red Prysock, was a noted tenor sax player who appeared on many of Arthur's records.

Prysock received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1995.