ArtistInfo

Theola Kilgore

voc, 1925-2005
Singer of R&B/Soul

Theola Kilgore (born 1925 in Schreveport, Louisiana - died May 15, 2005 in Los Angeles, California) was a Gospel and Soul singer. She grew up in Oakland, California, and started singing at church. The first recording for which she was paid was on "Look To The Hills" by The Mount Zion Spiritual Choir (group in which she was vocal lead) released in 1955 on Ajax Records 100. While working as a Gospel singer in the In the 1950s, she became friends with Sam Cooke's manager, JW Alexander, who introduced her to singer and record producer Ed Townsend. His first recording was "The Sound Of My Man" after the song "Chain Gang", a response to Sam Cooke's hit. She recorded her greatest success with "The Love Of My Man", an adaptation of "The Love Of God" recorded by The Soul Stirrers (Sam Cooke's band). The single and recorded on the label Serock 2004, a subsidiary of Scepter Records and reached the No. 3 in the R & B Charts in 1963. The next single "This Is My Prayer" Serock 2006 reached the No. 60 in the Hot 100 R & B, always in 1963. After which, Kilgore and Townsend launched their own KT Records label on which Kilgore recorded a single "I'll Keep Trying / He's Coming Back To Me" KT 501. Subsequently, his recordings mainly arranged by René Hall were less successful. she also recorded for Mercury and Scepter-Wand records, she also records some titles for Stax records that have remained unpublished (never released).