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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Sweetheart (Little Willie John)
Pop/Rock - Paru chez Digitop le 17 oct. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Leave My Kitten Alone
Rock - Paru chez Fantasy Day - União Lisboa le 15 juil. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Thought of You (Billboard Hot 100 - No 61)
R&B - Paru chez Music Manager le 13 nov. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Heartbreak (It's Hurtin' Me) (Billboard Hot 100 - No. 38)
Soul - Paru chez Music Manager le 19 déc. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
You're a Sweetheart (Billboard Hot 100 - No 66)
R&B - Paru chez Music Manager le 13 nov. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Heartbreak (It's Hurtin' Me)
Pop - Paru chez Music Made Me Do It le 1 mai 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Leave My Kitten Alone
Jazz - Paru chez Stars and Stripes le 30 oct. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In a Dressing Room
Blues - Paru chez dressing room le 1 févr. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Just at the Turn of the Tide
Blues - Paru chez turn of the tide le 9 avr. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Talk to Me, Talk to Me
Pop - Paru chez Reels on Fire le 1 juin 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
It Only Hurts a Little While / Don't Play With Love
Soul - Paru chez Jukebox Jam Series le 5 août 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo