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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Fever (Original Version 1956)
R&B - Released by J Records on 12 Mar 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Let's Rock While the Rockin's Good.
R&B - Released by El Toro Records on 15 Nov 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
R&B Legends Vol.11
Soul - Released by Vintage Jukebox on 9 Aug 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Sleep - The Singles As & Bs, 1955 - 1961
Soul - Released by Jasmine Records on 11 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anthology: The Deluxe Collection (Remastered)
R&B - Released by Master Tape Records on 3 Oct 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Early King Sessions
Jazz - Released by Black Sheep Music on 2 Dec 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Will the Sun Shine Tomorrow
Pop - Released by Beatbusters on 1 Jun 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Talk To Me
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by 4Beat on 1 Jan 1959
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Talk to Me, Talk to Me (Mono Version)
Rock - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mister Little Willie John
Rock - Released by Discos Cada on 9 May 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Need Your Love so Bad
Jazz - Released by Black Sheep Music on 8 Aug 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fever! And Other Smashing Hits
R&B - Released by Big Kahuna Music on 1 Apr 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sleep - The Best of Little Willie John
Jazz - Released by AP Digital on 1 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Remastered Hits (All Tracks Remastered)
R&B - Released by jjjedizionimusicali on 7 Dec 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo