Wet Willie
| Wet Willie | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| origin | Mobile, Alabama , USA |
| Genre (s) | Southern rock |
| founding | 1971 |
| Website | www.wetwilliemusic.com |
| Founding members | |
| Jimmy Hall | |
| Lewis Ross | |
| Jack Hall | |
| John David Anthony | |
| Ricky Hirsch | |
| Current occupation | |
singing |
Jimmy Hall |
Electric bass, vocals |
Jack Hall |
singing |
Donna Hall |
Drums |
TK Lively |
guitar |
Ric Seymour |
guitar |
Rick Chancey |
Keyboard |
Bobby Mobley |
| former members | |
singing |
Ella Brown Avery |
singing |
Elkie Brooks |
guitar |
Wick Larsen |
Keyboard, vocals |
Michael Duke |
guitar |
Marshall Smith |
guitar |
Larry Berwald |
Wet Willie is an American southern rock band from Mobile, Alabama . Their most famous song, "Keep On Smilin '", reached tenth place on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in August 1974. They also had a few minor hits.
history
Drummer Lewis Ross founded the group with the other musicians in the summer of 1969, Fox , who after moving from Mobile, Alabama to Macon, Georgia, home of Capricorn Records in Wet Willie renamed. When performing with Jimmy Hall, they appeared under their short name Wet Willie , otherwise as The Wet Willie Band . The band existed from 1971 to 1978 and played southern rock, producing a number of albums and several chart singles. Her biggest chart success was a top ten placement. In 1971 they first appeared in front of a larger audience on a tour as the opening act for the Allman Brothers Band .
Band members
The core members of the band during this time were singer Jimmy Hall, who also played harmonica and saxophone, Jimmy's brother Jack Hall on bass, John David Anthony on keyboards, Ricky Hirsch on guitar and Lewis Ross on drums. Wick Larsen was the band's second guitarist during the time around the second album "Wet Willie II". There was also a girl duo, "The Williettes", as background singers and a fundamental element of the classic Wet Willie sound. Jimmy and Jack's sister Donna Hall and Ella Brown Avery were the most famous cast. In 1974 the singer Elkie Brooks joined the band as a background singer for a short time. Michael Duke made his debut on the album "Dixie Rock" with keyboards and vocals and stayed with the band until the end of the Southern Rock era. This was followed by a period of personnel and record label changes and in 1978, with a new contract with Epic Records , the new line-up included Jimmy and Jack Hall, Mike Duke, drummer TK Lively and guitarists Marshall Smith and Larry Berwald; this occupation lasted until the early 1980s. After a brief hiatus, the band formed in the early 1990s with siblings Jimmy, Jack and Donna Hall, original keyboardist John David Anthony and drummer TK Lively, and guitarists Ric Seymour and Ricky Chancey.
Recordings
Wet Willie released several albums on Capricorn Records between 1971 and 1977, the album "Greatest Hits" on Polydor Records and two other studio albums on Epic Records. Some hit collections and other live recordings were only released in 2006. Their best known LP is the 1973 live album "Drippin Wet". The most famous song "Keep On Smilin '", which reached number 10 on the Billboard Singles Chart . Also "Country Side of Life", "Everything That 'Cha Do (will come back to you)", "Leona" and, from her time at Epic Records , "Street Corner Serenade" and "Weekend" from the LPs "Manorisms" and "Which One's Willie?" achieved (mostly lower) placements.
Robert Christgau wrote about the 1977 LP "Greatest Hits" in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the 70'S : "Alone among the Boogie-Rock-Boogies of the South": "Men who have Willies" Country "as in" Country and Western Music ”swapped for“ Country ”and“ Funk ”, and their rhythm section implements it - drummer Lewis Ross and bassist Jack Hall create danceable bar sound. In a better world they would be the eggs in a soul music band, but here they belong to a group with two problems: first the singer and second the songs. (Oops, I forgot about the guitarist ... why?) Jimmy Hall is supposed to be a cross between Ronnie Van Zant and Gregg Allman, but to me he just sounds like a cross between Chris Youlden and Dave Peverett [...]. " "
Current formations
In 2012 Wet Willie released a new live CD ( Miles of Smiles ) on the label Hittin 'The Note Records . They continue to tour with three original members, including vocalist Jimmy Hall, brother Jack on bass, sister Donna as vocalist and other longtime members, drummer TK Lively, Ric Seymour and Ricky Chancey on guitars, and the newest member, keyboardist Bobby Mobley.
Awards
- 1976: America's Music Award from the Alabama Hall of Fame
- 2014: Inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame
Discography
Albums
- 1971: Wet Willie (Capricorn Records)
- 1972: Wet Willie II (Capricorn)
- 1973: Drippin 'Wet (Live) (Capricorn)
- 1974: Keep On Smilin (Capricorn)
- 1975: Dixie Rock (Capricorn)
- 1976: The Wetter The Better (Capricorn)
- 1977: Manorisms (Epic Records)
- 1977: Left Coast Live (Capricorn)
- 1979: Which One's Willie? (Epic)
- 2012: Miles of Smiles (Live) (Hittin 'the Note Records)
Singles
| Year | single | US Hot 100 |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Rock and roll band | - |
| 1972 | Shout Bamalama | - |
| 1974 | Keep On Smilin ' | 10 |
| Country Side of Life | 66 | |
| 1975 | Leona | 69 |
| Dixie skirt | 96 | |
| 1976 | Ring you up | - |
| Baby fat | - | |
| Everything That 'cha Do | 66 | |
| 1977 | Street Corner Serenade | 30th |
| 1978 | Make You Feel Love Again | 45 |
| 1979 | Weekend | 29 |
| Ramona | - |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The official Wet Willie site
- ↑ Willie / Wet Willie on Allmusic (English)
- ↑ Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the 70'S. Ticknor & Fields , 1981. ISBN 089919026X