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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Fabulous Creature
Blues - Released by classics & more on 1 May 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hunting For Good
Blues - Released by Sandmann & Walther on 2 Mar 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Meet And Greet On Broadway
Blues - Released by classics & more on 22 Feb 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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I'll Carry Your Love Wherever I Go
Pop - Released by Bamboodi on 16 Feb 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Let´s Rock While the Rockin´s Good
Soul - Released by GREASY on 2 Jun 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Talk to Me, Talk to Me
Jazz - Released by Black Sheep Music on 31 Oct 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I'll Carry Your Love Wherever I Go
Pop - Released by Black Saint Recordings on 11 Jun 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I'll Carry Your Love Wherever I Go
Pop - Released by Endless Vinyl on 11 Jun 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Little Willie John - Greatest Hits (Best Value Music)
Blues - Released by Best Value Music on 7 Apr 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Come Here Again With My Best Music
Blues - Released by mbw music capital on 26 Jun 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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R&B Legends Vol. 10
R&B - Released by Vintage Jukebox on 10 Apr 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -