Little Caesar (February 18, 1928 *– June 12, 1994*) was an African American Blues and R&B singer and actor who is always confused with the entirely different guy who was the lead singer of Little Caesar & the Romans, the doo wop group who had a 1961 hit with "Those Oldies But Goodies."
Harry 'Little' Caesar was born into a family of steelworkers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His mother died when he was only nine months old, leaving his father to care for two older brothers and a sister. When he was three years old, his family moved to Youngstown, Ohio, and it was here that the young Harry grew up. To help his family, Harry kept odd jobs in construction and the steel mill throughout his teens.At 13 “Little Caesar” worked at a railroad company while attending Covington Grade school. During his High School days he worked evenings shining shoes to help his father. He also began singing at the Tabernacle Baptist Church of Youngstown. It was around this time he joined the local Wolf Gang and became known as Kid Wolf, but before he could get into too much trouble he had to enlist.
He began working with the Peter Rabbit Trio and Que Martyn. He scored an R&B hit in 1952 for Los Angeles entrepreneur John Dolphin's Recorded in Hollywood label with the novelty "Goodbye Baby." Little Caesar had a bent for slightly morbid, even slightly ghoulish material. Though other
records tend not to be as oddball, there are more frequent than usual
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allusions to ghosts, death, violence, and depression than is customary for the genre.
records tend not to be as oddball, there are more frequent than usual
allusions to ghosts, death, violence, and depression than is customary for the genre.Little Caesar might not have been nearly as outrageous in these departments as Screamin' Jay Hawkins was, but he nonetheless qualifies as a vague ancestor of sorts to that rock & roll madman, his more eccentric qualities amplified by his rather gloomy vocal delivery and the eerie lo-fi production of some of his records. For that reason, he is a little more interesting than the usual obscure '50s R&B vocalist of average talents, though he did his share of fairly straightforward jump blues and ballads, too.
Although most of his records were cut in the early 50's (usually for the Recorded in Hollywood label), He also recorded four as a member of the Bay Area R&B vocal group the Turbans, as well as seven in 1960 for the Downey label in a notably deepened, more weather-beaten vocal timbre and more pronounced rock & roll-influenced feel.
His career out of music was if anything, more interesting than his career in music. His acting debut was in 1969 on an episode of Diahann Carroll's TV series JULIA, as Herb the Handy(man).
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He became known for his low, gravelly voice and under-his-breath delivery. He also appeared in many small rolls on TV series during the 70's & 80's including LA Law, MacGyver, Hill Street Blues, Good Times, Room 222, and many others. He appeared in many films notably A Few Good Men (1992), The Longest Yard (1974) and Bird on a Wire (1990).
He became known for his low, gravelly voice and under-his-breath delivery. He also appeared in many small rolls on TV series during the 70's & 80's including LA Law, MacGyver, Hill Street Blues, Good Times, Room 222, and many others. He appeared in many films notably A Few Good Men (1992), The Longest Yard (1974) and Bird on a Wire (1990). He died age 66, on June 12, 1994 in Los Angeles County, California, due to complications from diabetes.
(Edited from Ace Records, Wikipedia, AllMusic, Discogs.com.& IMDb.)
*Some sources also give birth date as 28th and day of death as 14th