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 - Music History
Soul - Editado por Vintage Jukebox el 20 abr. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cheaper Tricks
Blues - Editado por tricki masters mind el 2 oct. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Best of Little Willie John
Soul - Editado por Vintage Jukebox el 4 dic. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Kat on the Keys
Jazz - Editado por Black Sheep Music el 2 dic. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Prairie Windstorm
Blues - Editado por prairie windstorm el 1 feb. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Little Willie John Sleep, Vol. 3
R&B - Editado por Giggling Gecko el 27 mar. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Nightingale
R&B - Editado por oldies and hits for future el 6 may. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
All Around the World
Pop - Editado por Diamond Cuts el 1 mar. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Mister Little Willie John
World music - Editado por TP4 Music el 6 ene. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dinner Date - Little Willie John
Soul - Editado por ISIS el 1 nov. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Little Willie John Collection
R&B - Editado por Lumi Entertainment el 1 ene. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
St. Nicholas - For Young Folks
R&B - Editado por St. Nicholas Day el 11 dic. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo