William Edward "Little Willie" John (November 15, 1937 – May 26, 1968) was an American rock 'n' roll and R&B singer who performed in the 1950s and early 1960s. He is best known for his popular music chart successes with songs such as "All Around the![]()
World" (1955), "Need Your Love So Bad" (1956), and "Fever" (1956), the latter covered in 1958 by Peggy Lee. An important figure in early R&B music, John was a 1996 Inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
World" (1955), "Need Your Love So Bad" (1956), and "Fever" (1956), the latter covered in 1958 by Peggy Lee. An important figure in early R&B music, John was a 1996 Inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.He was born in Cullendale, Arkansas. He was one of ten children. His father, Mertis, was a logger in northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas; his mother, Lillie, played guitar and sang gospel songs, teaching them to her children. His sister Mable, also raised in Ouachita County, recorded as a Raelette for Ray Charles and solo for Stax Records.
His family moved to Detroit, Michigan when he was four, so that his father could pursue factory work. In the late 1940s, the eldest children, including Willie, formed a gospel singing group, and Willie also performed in talent shows, which brought him to the notice of Johnny Otis and, later, musician and producer Henry Glover. After seeing him sing with the Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams orchestra, Glover signed him to a recording contract with King Records in 1955. He was nicknamed "Little Willie" John for his short stature.
Mertis John Jr. One of his biggest hits, "Fever" (1956) (Pop #24 & R&B #1), was more famously covered by Peggy Lee in 1958. However, John's version alone sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.Another song, "Talk to Me, Talk to Me" recorded in 1958, reached #5 in the R&B chart and #20 in the Pop chart, and also sold over one million.A few years later it was a hit once again by Sunny & the Sunglows. He also recorded "I'm Shakin'" by Rudy Toombs, "Suffering With The Blues", and "Sleep" (1960) (Pop #13).
In all, John made the Billboard Hot 100 a total of fourteen times. A cover version of "Need Your Love So Bad" by Fleetwood Mac was also a hit in Europe. Another of his songs to be covered was "Leave My Kitten Alone", (1959). The Beatles recorded a version in 1964, intended for their Beatles for Sale album, but it went unreleased until 1995.Willie John was known for his short temper and propensity to abuse alcohol, and was dropped by his record company in 1963. In 1966, he was convicted of manslaughter and sent to Washington State Penitentiary for a fatal knifing incident following a show in
Seattle. He appealed his conviction and was released while the case was reconsidered, during which time he recorded what was intended to be his comeback album, but owing to contractual wrangling and the decline of his appeal, it was not released until 2008 (as Nineteen Sixty Six).Convicted of manslaughter, he began serving his eight- to twenty-year sentence at Walla Walla State Penitentiary on July 6, 1966. He died nearly two years later, on May 26, 1968, in the maximum security facility. Rumours of prison beatings or other foul play have always surrounded his death. Despite counterclaims (Rolling Stone reported that the death occurred after John had checked into the prison hospital with pneumonia), the official cause of death was listed in his death certificate as a heart attack.
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James Brown recorded a tribute album to John that year, and his material has been recorded by scores of artists, yet Little Willie John remains a stranger to most listeners and has never received the respect his talent deserves.
Little Willie John was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
(Info edited from various sources mainly Wikipedia)