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 Sleep, Vol. 4
R&B - Erschienen bei Giggling Gecko am 27.03.2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Deluxe Edition
R&B - Erschienen bei deluxer 60's hits am 21.07.2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dancing Couple
Blues - Erschienen bei nature oldies am 08.03.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The King Sessions
Jazz - Erschienen bei Black Sheep Music am 02.12.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Cottage for Sale (Billboard Hot 100 - No 63)
R&B - Erschienen bei Music Manager am 13.11.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Back In The Game
Blues - Erschienen bei the music game companys am 09.08.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Fever (Billboard Hot 100 - No. 24)
Soul - Erschienen bei Music Manager am 19.12.2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Essential Masters
Soul - Erschienen bei Burning Fire am 04.08.2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
While the Rockin's Good
Pop - Erschienen bei Music Made Me Do It am 01.05.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Will the Sun Shine Tomorrow
Pop - Erschienen bei Jazz Crooners am 29.10.2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Look What You've Done to Me
Pop - Erschienen bei Endless Vinyl am 20.05.2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Winter Dreams
Blues - Erschienen bei Winter Dreams am 29.09.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Down
Blues - Erschienen bei down in town with sound am 07.02.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Under The Christmas Tree
R&B - Erschienen bei The Christmas Tree am 16.12.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Essential Collection
R&B - Erschienen bei Essential Collection am 29.09.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -