Arthur Louis
| Arthur Louis | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Louis Arthur Bulgin |
| Also known as | Black Cat |
| Born |
June 21, 1945 Jamaica |
| Died | December 24, 2014 (aged 69) Surbiton, England |
| Genres | Rock, blues, reggae |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, arranger |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1968–2014 |
| Labels | Island, Mango, Plum, Crown, Mainstreet, Philips, Wetbird, Fresh Air, Pandisc, Black Cat, Solid |
| Associated acts | Terminal Stations, Eric Clapton, Gene Chandler |
Arthur Louis (21 June 1945 – 24 December 2014) was a rock, blues and reggae cross-over musician. His surname is pronounced as luːɪs (Lewis) and he held British nationality. He released three solo albums and was responsible for introducing the work of musician Mike Oldfield to Virgin Records.
Born in Jamaica, Louis moved to Brooklyn with his family at a young age. In his late teens he attended Michigan State University where he joined and toured with the band Terminal Stations, in Brazil and Germany.
Louis recorded his debut album Knockin' on Heaven's Door in 1974, which featured Eric Clapton and Gene Chandler. The title song, a reggae blues version of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" was released as a single in July 1975, a week before Eric Clapton released his own interpretation of Louis's arrangement, of the same song. Louis's release received attention but was over shadowed by Clapton's, which featured Louis's "Someone Like You" as the B-side. Louis's album Knocking on Heaven's Door, eventually climbed to #6 in International charts.
In 1991 the German record label Discovery Sounds licensed and re-mastered his debut album, Knockin' on heaven's door and the subsequent release revived interest in his music. Later renewed interest from Japan prompted the release of his second album Back From Palookaville (1998).
By 2006 Louis was making concert appearances in Europe once more, which re-established him in countries such as Italy and Spain. In December 2008, he appeared on BBC Radio 2's Paul Jones Show. In 2009 he released his third album Black Cat, a retrospective album which included new songs such as the title track "Black Cat". In the same year he played with his band at the London launch of 'Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues'. On 23 August the same year he appeared in London again with Bobby Tench, Jim Cregan and Roger Chapman.
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