His father often wrote religious songs when he was a child, and the presence of an organ in his house led to an early exposure to music. A fan of pop music as well, Lou began to play the organ for his school band and developed his chops during his early teens. When his older brothers turned him onto Duke Ellington and Wes Montgomery, the young musician understood what he wanted to do with his life for the first time. He began jamming with local jazz musicians, picking up the guitar along the way and becoming quite the virtuoso. He began starting bands and travelling the country, finding himself even going oversees for a period in Paris. Collaborating most notably with Donny Elwood in the 90's, he also began releasing his own material, starting with 1997's Prelude. Since then, his independent albums have included 1998's Remember J.L. Ava Ava and 2002's Spellings. ~ Bradley Torreano