Lou Ragland was born July 18, 1942 in Cleveland Ohio. One of three children born to Carey and Violet Ragland, Lou received his formal education in his hometown of Cleveland. His parents encouraged and opened their young minds to almost every cultural institution in the state of Ohio. They were taken to plays, operas, parades, museums and conventions and things of nature such as the beach, lakes, covered bridges, caves and parks. Lou was introduced at a very early age to music and musical instruments. The home was always filled with the sounds of the world’s greatest performers of all time, Such greats as Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Johnny Ray, Ear Grant, Ray Charles and composers such as Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. At the age of thirteen, Lou was even more inspired when he heard a song played on the radio called “Goody, Goody”, sung by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. From then on in school Lou learned to play any musical instrument he could put his hands on. The tuba, clarinet and also sax just to name a few. He also excelled in sports, especially track and won many awards. While in school some of Lou’s constant companions were Wilkie, Abram, Ronnie, Jimmy and Leonard. Some of them eventually sang in his very first group, “The Monclairs”. Lou Ragland is the lead singer for The World Famous Ink Spots and one of the Vegas Tenors.