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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I'm Looking for an Angel
R&B - Released by for an angel again on 27 Sep 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Leave My Kitten Alone
Jazz - Released by Black Sheep Music on 30 Oct 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Sweet Sixties
R&B - Released by The Sweet Sixties on 3 Jul 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Are You Ever Coming Back
Pop - Released by Vintage Beats on 1 Apr 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Talk To Me - 4 Track EP
Soul - Released by Play Digital on 5 Jul 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Little Willie John - Vintage Sounds
R&B - Released by Retro Music Box on 6 Dec 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Will the Sun Shine Tomorrow
Pop - Released by Pop Art on 1 Jul 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Les idoles américaines du rhythm and blues : Little Willie John, Vol. 1
Pop - Released by Mpm on 31 Mar 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A new Friend
Blues - Released by golden times again on 7 Aug 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Letter from My Darling
Pop - Released by Diggin`Classics on 1 Jul 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Little Willie John: R & B Originals
Soul - Released by Ap music on 19 Mar 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Love Life And Money, Vol. 1
Blues - Released by Diamond Days on 5 May 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Little Willie John Sleep, Vol. 2
R&B - Released by Giggling Gecko on 2 Oct 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Little Willie John Sleep, Vol. 1
R&B - Released by Giggling Gecko on 2 Oct 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Happy Hours, Vol. 2
R&B - Released by Simon & Lion on 23 Mar 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo