Roamey Lathan

Songwriter and performer (July 31, 1943 – May 29, 2021). Lathan was born on July 31, 1943, in Longview, Texas to Linda Ouida Hudson and Ray Roamey Lathan. Roamey was relocated by his mother to Kansas City, MO in 1954 where he spent the majority of his life in school, cultivating friendships, raising a family and building a successful career for over 60 years. Roamey loved music. After graduating from Central High School in 1961 he was a member The Idols (5), a quartet of young, Kansas City singers. The Idols ventured to Detroit with dreams of being part of the Motown sound where they recorded “Check Her Out” and “Why Am I So Blue,” both written by Roamey, on the USA Records (2) label. After giving Detroit his best effort, Roamey returned to Kansas City and settled in at Butler Manufacturing where he worked while raising a family and pursuing his bachelor’s in Business Administration at UMKC. After graduating in 1973, he went to work at Yellow Freight and climbed to the executive rank of Vice President before retiring in 1997.