Prince La La

Who was Prince La La?

Prince La La born Lawrence Nelson, from the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, was a songwriter and vocalist who released a couple of classic R&B recordings before his death from a drug overdose at 27.

Lawrence Nelson was born into a family rooted in the rich musical tradition of New Orleans. His father, Walter Nelson, was a noted jazz and R&B guitarist who played with R&B pioneer Smiley Lewis. His elder brother, Walter "Papoose" Nelson Jr., played extensively in the 50s and early 60s with Fats Domino and Professor Longhair, and was a featured session guitarist for seminal New Orleans bandlander and producer Dave Bartholomew. Sister Dorothy was married to the singer, songwriter and producer Jessie Hill.

It was Jessie Hill who was responsible for Nelson, who started out as a songwriter, becoming a recording artist. In 1961 Hill brought his latest discovery, 19-year-old Barbara George, in for a debut recording session with Harold Battiste's newly founded A.F.O. label. Hill proposed that she sing Nelson's song "She Put the Hurt on Me", and played a demo with Nelson's vocal for her and Battiste to hear. Battiste liked Nelson's version so much he decided to have Nelson sing the song instead and in 1962 it became the first release by the A.F.O. label, b/w "Don’t You Know Little Girl".