Little Willie John

Little Willie John (actually William Edgar John ; born November 15, 1937 in Cullendale , Arkansas ; † May 26, 1968 in Walla Walla , Washington ) was a rhythm & blues singer who was particularly popular in the 1950s and released the original of the widely-covered classic Fever .

Career

Little Willie John went on tour with the Paul Williams Orchestra from 1954, but did not participate in recordings. In June 1955 he was discovered by the producer Henry Glover for King Records , there immediately received a recording contract and was already on June 27, 1955 in the recording studio. With the hastily assembled studio band from the record company, which consisted of "Champion" Jack Dupree , Calvin Shields, Ivan Rolle, Mickey Baker and Willis Jackson , the studio recordings for the Titus Turner composition All Around the World / Don't Leave began at 8:00 pm Me Dear . The single with the only 18-year-old Little Willie John climbed to number 5 on the R&B charts. As it turned out, it wasn't a one-hit wonder , because his second single with the often-covered classic Need Your Love So Bad (again with the famous session guitarist Mikey Baker), which was composed with his brother Mertis John , also made fifth place. Even the B-side Home at Last was independently listed in 6th place.

Fever

On March 1, 1956, a memorable recording session for Little Willie John and his label King Records was scheduled. With Fever a 12-bar blues in minor was created, orchestrated with the tenor saxophones by Ray Felder and Rufus "Nose" Gore as well as the jazzy guitar by Bill Jennings and snapping fingers, which only marginally loosened the bluesy mood. The recording took almost 6 hours to perfect. The composer Otis Blackwell noted that Little Willie John initially did not want to record the piece because he did not like the snap of his fingers. The song, however, had a solid, gospel-like arrangement, which after its release in April 1956 was rewarded with the only R&B number one for the artist Little Willie John and as a crossover still reached number 24 on the pop charts. Later, the original also achieved million-seller status. Fever became the most covered R&B song of all time after the jazzy version by Peggy Lee .

More singles and relegation

40 more singles followed by 1964 for King Records, 13 of which came into the R&B charts. Almost all of them were produced by Henry Glover. The singer's increasing alcoholism and declining record sales led the record label to fire Little Willie John in September 1963. Regardless of this, singles of him were still published from the archives.

Shortly thereafter, in August 1964, the press reported Little Willie John's imprisonment for attacking a man at the Black & Tan Club in Seattle with a broken bottle. Hardly released, on October 17, 1964, while drunk, he attacked a man with a knife. When the trial began in January 1965, the criminal charge of murder was reduced to manslaughter. Found guilty by the jury, on July 6, 1966, after his appeal expired, he was sent to Washington State's infamous Walla Walla State Prison, where he served a 20-year sentence. There he died on May 26, 1968 of a heart attack caused by pneumonia.

His sister Mable John had a minor hit in July 1966 with Your Good Thing (Is About to End) (# 6 R&B / # 95 Pop). On December 19, 1968 Label colleague published James Brown , the souvenir album Thinking About Little Willie John and a Few Nice Things .

statistics

According to the BMI , Little Willie John composed 15 songs, of which Need Your Love So Bad was the best placed in the R&B charts. This song was the most covered after Fever with 16 versions, with the version by the British R&B oriented Fleetwood Mac being the most authentic and published posthumously (July 1968). Although the Beatles recorded his “Leave My Kitten Alone” in London on August 14, 1964, it was not released on the Beatles for Sale LP . The publication was only made up for on Anthology 1 in 1995.

On January 17, 1996, Little Willie John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame .

Discography

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes, label)		Remarks	Label
		US	R&B
1955	All around the world	-	R&B5 (16 weeks) R&B	B-Side: Don't Leave Me Dear Author: Titus Turner	King 4818
	Need Your Love So Bad	-	R&B5 (16 weeks) R&B	B-Side: Home at Last Author: Mertis John	King 4841
	Home at Last	-	R&B6 (1 week) R&B	B-side of Need Your Love So Bad Author: Rudy Toombs
1956	Fever	US24 (15 weeks) US	R&B1 (23 weeks) R&B	B-side: Letter from My Darling Millionenseller; R&R Hall of Fame Authors: Eddie Cooley, Otis Blackwell	King 4935
	Letter from My Darling	-	R&B10 (4 weeks) R&B	B-side of Fever Authors: Charles Singleton, Rose Marie McCoy
	Do something for me	-	R&B15 (1 week) R&B	B-side: My Nerves Authors: Billy Ward, Rose Marks	King 4960
1958	Talk to me, talk to me	US20 (17 weeks) US	R&B5 (14 weeks) R&B	B-Side: Spasms Millionaire Author: Joe Seneca	King 5108
	You're a sweetheart	US66 (4 weeks) US	R&B14 (2 weeks) R&B	B-Side: Let's Rock While the Rockin's Good Authors: Harold Adamson, Jimmy McHugh; 1938 hit for Dolly Dawn	King 5142
	Tell It Like It Is	-	R&B12 (5 weeks) R&B	B-Side: Don't Be Ashamed to Call My Name Author: Titus Turner	King 5147
1959	Leave My Kitten Alone	US60 (15 weeks) US	R&B13 (9 weeks) R&B	B-side: Let Nobody Love You reached number 60 in 1959 and again in 1961. Authors: Little Willie John, James McDougal, Titus Turner	King 5219
1960	Let them talk	US100 (1 week) US	R&B11 (14 weeks) R&B	B-Side: Right There Author: Sonny Thompson	King 5274
	A Cottage for Sale	US63 (6 weeks) US	-	B-Side: I'm Shakin ' Authors: Larry Conley, Willard Robison; 1930 hit for Guy Lombardo	King 5342
	Heartbreak (It's Hurtin 'Me)	US38 (12 weeks) US	R&B6 (14 weeks) R&B	B-Side: Do You Love Me Writer: Jon Thomas	King 5356
	Sleep	US13 (16 weeks) US	R&B10 (9 weeks) R&B	B-Side: There's a Difference Author: Earl Burtnett, Adam Geibel; 1924 hit with Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians	King 5394
	Walk Slow	US48 (8 weeks) US	R&B21 (2 weeks) R&B	B-Side: You Hurt Me Authors: Little Willie John, Darryl John	King 5428
1961	Very Thought of You	US61 (6 weeks) US	-	B-Side: I'm Sorry Author: Ray Noble ; 1934 a hit for the author	King 5458
	flamingo	-	R&B17 (2 weeks) R&B	B-Side: (I've Got) Spring Fever Authors: Edmund Anderson, Ted Grouya	King 5503
	(I've Got) Spring Fever	US71 (5 weeks) US	R&B25 (1 week) R&B	B-side by Flamingo Authors: Paul Tannen, Shorty Long
	Now you know	US93 (3 weeks) US	-	B-side: Take My Love (I Want to Give It All to You) Authors: Shirley Wolfe, Sy Soloway	King 5516
	Take My Love (I Want to Give It All to You)	US87 (1 week) US	R&B5 (11 weeks) R&B	B-side of Now You Know Author: Mertis John

More singles

• Are You Ever Coming Back / I'm Stickin 'with You Baby (1956), King 4893
• I've Been Around / Suffering with the Blues (September 21, 1956), King 4989
• Will the Sun Shine Tomorrow / A Little Bit of Loving (December 1956), King 5003
• Love, Life and Money / You Got to Get Up Early in the Morning (February 1957), King 5023
• I've Got to Go Cry / Look What You've Done to Me (May 1957), King 5045
• Young Girl / If I Thought You Needed Me (August 1957), King 5066
• Uh Uh Baby / Summer Date (October 1957), King 5083
• Person to Person / Until You Do (June 13, 1957), King 5091
• All My Love Belongs to You / Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me (December 1958), King 5154
• No Regrets / I'll Carry Your Love Wherever I Go (February 1959), King 5170
• Made for Me / Do More in Life (April 1959), King 5179
• Loving Care / My Love Is (February 1960), King 5318
• Leave My Kitten Alone / I'll Never Go Back on My Word (January 1961), King 5452
• Need Your Love So Bad / Drive Me Home (1961), King 5539
• There Is Someone in This World for Me / Autumn Leaves (December 1961), King 5577
• Mister Glenn / Until Again My Love (March 1962), King 5628
• Doll Face / Big Blue Diamonds (June 6, 1962), King 5681
• My Baby's in Love with Another Guy / Come On Sugar (June 6, 1962), King 5744
• She Thinks I Still Care / Come Back to Me (June 6, 1962), King 5667
• Doll Face / Big Blue Diamonds (October 1962), King 5681
• Without a Friend / Half a Love (December 1962), King 5694
• Don't Play with Love / Heaven All Around Me (February 1963), King 5717
• My Baby's in Love with Another Guy / Come On Sugar (April 1963), King 5744
• Let Them Talk / Talk to Me (1963), King 5799
• So Lovely / Inside Information (1963), King 5818
• Person to Person / I'm Shakin '(1963), King 5823
• Bill Bailey / My Love Will Never Change (1964), King 5850
• Rock Love / It Only Hurts for a Little While (1964), King 5870
• Do Something for Me / Don't You Know I'm in Love (1964), King 5949
• Talk to Me / Take My Love (1965), King 6003
• Fever / Let Them Talk (1968), King 6170
• All Around the World / Need Your Love So Bad (1970), King 6302

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The claim that he was involved in the recording of Ring A Ling / Don't Teach Me for George Goldner's Rama Records (# 167) in early 1955 is refuted by the cast lists.
2. ↑ also with: Jan Thomas (piano), Edwyn Conley (bass) and Edison Gore (drums)
3. ^ Arnold Shaw, Honkers And Shouters: The Golden Years Of Rhythm And Blues , 1978, p. 287
4. ↑ due to King Records' refusal to join the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), sales of King Records records were initially not made public; see. Rick Kennedy and Randy McNutt, Little Labels - Big Sound , 1999, p. 59
5. ^ Cassandra Wagoner: Black and Tan Club 1922-1966
6. ^ BMI entry for Little Willie John
7. ↑ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Little Willie John in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
8. ↑ Chart sources: US
9. ^ Hot R&B Singles 1942-2010 by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2010, ISBN 978-0-89820-186-4
10. ↑ ^{a b} before the introduction of the gold record in 1958 there were only estimated, unofficial sales figures from the music labels
11. ↑ Billboard, March 27, 1962, p. 27 (Singles Reviews)

Web links

• Little Willie John on Music VF
• Little Willie John at Discogs (English)