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‘Catalyst Sessions’ recap: Kent LaVoie, aka Lobo
Kent LaVoie was born in Tallahassee, grew up in Winter Haven and now spends half of each year in Fort Myers. He is a Floridian in the truest sense of the word.
His music, which sold in the millions and made him a superstar in the 1970s, is still listened and thrilled to today – making Kent LaVoie a true citizen of the world. In certain Asian countries, in fact, his fame is on the Madonna-and-Springsteen scale.
That brief but meteoric career, during which he was known as Lobo, began in St. Petersburg.
For it was here, as a student at St. Petersburg Junior College, that LaVoie was “discovered,” his talent nurtured, by record producer Phil Gernhard, who encouraged his protégé’s songwriting, got him into the recording studio and came out with “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo,” “I’d Love You to Want Me,” “How Can I Tell Her” and a handful of other classic tunes.
Lobo … er, LaVoie … granted a rare interview to The Catalyst Sessions Wednesday. He discussed his high school associations with Gram Parsons and Jim Stafford, his earliest recorded effort, a 1965 cover of Johnny Rivers’ “What Am I Doing Here” and why Gernhard encouraged him to take on a pseudonym in the first place.
“It was much more than I ever expected,” LaVoie mused at interview’s end. “And before it consumed me, I bowed out. And that was just all I could do. I wasn’t capable of doing any more than I did, the good and the bad.
“I look back and I say I wish I’d had the patience to do a little bit more. Not for the money or the notoriety, but just the idea that I could have that many more songs in the network. Which was the most important thing I did, the writing of the songs.
“Besides that, I have no regrets.”
Woltil
Today on The Catalyst Sessions: Conversation and music with Tampa singer and songwriter Ed Woltil.
Streaming weekdays at 7 p.m. on the Catalyst Facebook page. All episodes are archived on our YouTube page.
Karen Kenzie
June 5, 2022at10:57 pm
Enjoyed seeing the interview. Was wondering what he was doing these days – loved many of his songs and just heard “I’d Love You To Want Me” – a song I always loved. Getting ready to see Jackson Brown in MN next week and he just came out with a new album – was hoping Lobo was still performing as well! His music was/is wonderful!!
Lola
January 20, 2021at4:19 pm
I was a young girl when i remember listening to LOBO and i fell in love with his songs.
I never saw him in concert i was a young girl living out in the country in middle of nowhere
nobody knew who he was then.
Larry E Yonker
September 10, 2020at3:15 pm
Kent Lavoie played in a local group called Me and the Other Guys when he was in St Petersburg back in the late 60’s. I saw them many times at teen dances.Their lead singer was a guy named Dkutch Walton who did some local tv