Arthur Prysock; Singer Was Nominated for 2 Grammies

Arthur Prysock, a baritone who crooned his way through the great ballads of the 1950s and ‘60s, has died at a retirement home in Bermuda. He was 74.

A two-time Grammy nominee, Prysock toured the globe for 40 years and was known for his dynamic delivery and sultry voice.

As he aged, his voice started to fail him, deteriorating into a raspy bass. Still, Prysock continued to earn strong reviews. “Prysock demanded--and earned--the respect of the nearly full house,” a Times reviewer wrote after a 1988 concert. “Prysock showed his formidable talents . . . with commanding style and plaintive emotion,” another reviewer commented after a 1990 concert.

Prysock gained fame early when he joined the popular Buddy Johnson Band as a teenager, recording 16 hit songs with the group and earning national acclaim. He struck out on his own in 1952 and swiftly developed a popular repertoire of familiar jazz, swing and rhythm and blues songs. At the same time, he was composing tunes and putting out solo albums.

Prysock was nominated in 1987 for a Grammy for “Teach Me Tonight,” a jazz duo with singer Betty Joplin. The next year, his rendition of “This Guy’s in Love With You” earned him a nomination for best jazz vocal performance.

Although he did not win a Grammy, he was honored at the Rhythm & Blues Foundations Pioneer Awards in 1995. “It’s been a long time trying,” he said at the time, “but it’s been a wonderful trip up here.”

Prysock died Saturday of undisclosed causes.