Little Willie John
He never received the accolades given to the likes of Sam Cooke, Clyde McPhatter, and James Brown, but Little Willie John ranks as one of R&B's most influential performers. His muscular high timbre and enormous technical and emotional range belied his young age (his first hit came when he was 18), but his mid-'50s work for Syd Nathan's King label would play a great part in the way soul music would sound. Everyone from Cooke, McPhatter, and Brown to Jackie Wilson, B.B. King, and Al Green has acknowledged his debt to this most overlooked of rock and soul pioneers.
His debut recording, a smoking version of Titus Turner's "All Around the World" from 1955, set the pattern for a remarkable string of hits: "Need Your Love So Bad," "Suffering with the Blues," "Fever," "Let Them Talk," and his last, "Sleep," from 1961. His version of "Fever" was copied note for note by Peggy Lee and Elvis Presley, both of whom had bigger hits with it; John's version, however, remains definitive. His second hit, "Need Your Love So Bad," contains one of the most intimate, tear-jerking vocals ever caught on tape.
John had a volatile temper, fueled by a taste for liquor and an insecurity regarding his slight height (5 feet 4 inches). He was known to pack a gun and knife; in 1964, he stabbed a man and was sent to the Washington State penitentiary, where he died of pneumonia in 1968. James Brown recorded a tribute album to John that year, and his material has been recorded by scores of artists from the Beatles to Fleetwood Mac to the Blasters. Nevertheless, Little Willie John remains a stranger to most listeners and has never received the respect his talent deserves.
Little Willie John was one of the first artists featured in Rhino's King reissues series. Fever was issued late in 1993, and the single-disc, 20-track anthology included such John releases as "Need Your Love So Bad," "Suffering with the Blues," and the title cut.
© John Floyd /TiVo
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Little Willie John Sleep, Vol. 4
R&B - Released by Giggling Gecko on 27 mrt. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Deluxe Edition
R&B - Released by deluxer 60's hits on 21 jul. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The King Sessions
Jazz - Released by Black Sheep Music on 2 dec. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Cottage for Sale (Billboard Hot 100 - No 63)
R&B - Released by Music Manager on 13 nov. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Back In The Game
Blues - Released by the music game companys on 9 aug. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Fever (Billboard Hot 100 - No. 24)
Soul - Released by Music Manager on 19 dec. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Sounds of Little Willie John
R&B - Released by Lumi Entertainment on 1 jan. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Essential Masters
Soul - Released by Burning Fire on 4 aug. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
While the Rockin's Good
Pop - Released by Music Made Me Do It on 1 mei 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Will the Sun Shine Tomorrow
Pop - Released by Jazz Crooners on 29 okt. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Look What You've Done to Me
Pop - Released by Endless Vinyl on 20 mei 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Under The Christmas Tree
R&B - Released by The Christmas Tree on 16 dec. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Essential Collection
R&B - Released by Essential Collection on 29 sep. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo