Chick Willis
Cousin to the late blues ballad singer Chuck Willis, Robert "Chick" Willis is primarily beloved for his ribald, dozens-based rocker "Stoop Down Baby." The guitarist cut his original version in 1972 for tiny La Val Records of Kalamazoo, MI, selling a ton of 45s for the jukebox market only (the tune's lyrics were way too raunchy for airplay).
Willis left the military in 1954, hiring on as valet and chauffeur to cousin Chuck, then riding high with his many R&B hits for OKeh Records. At that point, Chick's primary role on the show was as a singer (he made his own vinyl debut in 1956 with a single, "You're Mine," for Lee Rupe's Ebb Records after winning a talent contest at Atlanta's Magnolia Ballroom), but he picked up the guitar while on the road with his cousin (Chick cites Guitar Slim as his main man in that department).
When Chuck died of stomach problems in 1958, Willis soldiered on, pausing in Chicago to work as a sideman with slide guitar great Elmore James. A few obscure 45s ("Twistin' in the Hospital Ward," cut for Alto in 1962, sounds promising) preceded the advent of "Stoop Down Baby," which Willis has freshened up for countless sequels ever since (he developed the song by teasing passersby with his ribald rhymes while working in a carnival variety show).
Risqué material remained a staple of Willis's output in recent years. He cut several albums for Ichiban, notably 1988's Now!, Footprints in My Bed in 1990, and Back to the Blues in 1991.
© Bill Dahl /TiVo
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Discography
12 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Let the Blues Speak for Itself
Blues - Released by Music Access, Inc. on 18 okt. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blues Me Before You Lose Me
Blues - Released by Music Access, Inc. on 7 apr. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Things I Used to Do
Blues - Released by Big Bear Records on 20 jul. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hit & Run Blues
Blues - Released by Music Access, Inc. on 7 apr. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mr. Blues: The Best Of...So Far
Blues - Released by CDS Records on 19 jul. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
From the Heart and Soul
Soul - Released by Rock House Records on 20 mrt. 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Mr. Blues / Savannah Lee
Blues - Released by Susie Q Records on 25 feb. 1998
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Don of the Blues
Blues - Released by Music Access, Inc. on 27 mrt. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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What's to Become of the World
Blues - Released by Tcrecords on 26 mrt. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Come on Home / Twistin' in the Hospital Ward (Digital 45)
Soul - Released by Essential Media Group on 1 jul. 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo