John, Little Willie (actually, William)

John, Little Willie (actually, William), one of the most overlooked pioneers of rock ’n’ roll and soul; b. Cullendale, Ark., Nov. 15, 1937; d. Walla Walla, Wash., May 26, 1968. Little Willie John moved with his family to Detroit in 1942, singing in the gospel quartet The United Four with his older sister Mable. In 1960 Mable John became the first solo female vocalist to record for Motown Records. She scored a R&B smash on Stax Records with “Your Good Thing (Is About to End)” in 1966 and joined Ray Charles’s Raeletts in 1968. William John began performing regularly at a Detroit venue by the age of 11 and was spotted by Johnny Otis at a Paradise Theater talent contest in 1951. Otis recommended three of the show’s acts—Little Willie John, Jackie Wilson, and The Royals—to Syd Nathan of King Records, but only The Royals (who became The Mid-nighters with the addition of Hank Ballard) were signed to the label. John subsequently toured with R&B bandleader Paul Williams (’The Hucklebuck”) and recorded for Prize Records.

Eventually signing with King Records in 1955, Little Willie John recorded under producer Henry Glover and quickly scored a R&B smash with “All around the World” (also known as “Grits Ain’t Groceries”). In 1956 he achieved two two-sided R&B smashes with “Need Your Love So Bad “/”Home at Last” and “Fever “/”Letter from My Darling.” “Fever,” written by Otis Blackwell and Eddie Cooley, became a top R&B / major pop hit for John, but Peggy Lee had a near- smash pop hit with the song in 1958. John had a major pop/smash R&B hit with “Talk to Me, Talk to Me” in 1958. Other successes for John through 1960 included the major R&B and minor pop hits “You’re a Sweetheart,” “Leave My Kitten Alone,” “Let Them Talk,” and “Heartbreak (It’s Hurtin’ Me),” the pop- only “A Cottage for Sale,” and the standard “Sleep,” a major crossover hit. Several of Little Willie John’s hits were covered by other artists. In 1959 Johnny Preston managed a minor pop hit with “Leave My Kitten Alone”; in 1963 Sunny and The Sunglows had a major pop hit with “Talk to Me”; and in 1969 Little Milton achieved a major R&B hit with “Grits Ain’t Groceries.”

In 1961 Little Willie John scored major R&B hits with “Walk Slow,” the two-sided “(I’ve Got) Spring Fever “/”Flamingo,” and “Take My Love (I Want to Give It All to You).” However, he never achieved another hit and, by 1963, King had dropped him from its roster. In October 1964 John stabbed a man to death in a Seattle club and, in July 1966 he was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 8-to-20 years in prison. He died at the Wash. State Penitentiary in Walla Walla on May 27, 1968, at the age of 30. The cause was variously reported as a heart attack or pneumonia. James Brown soon recorded the tribute album Thinking about Little Willie John and A Whole New Thing and, in 1996, Little Willie John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Discography

Fever (1957); Talk to Me (1958); Mister Little Willie John (1958); Action (1960); Sure Things (1961); The Sweet, the Hot, the Teenage Beat (1961); Come on and Join Little Willie John (1962); These Are My Favorite Songs (1964); Little Willie John Sings All Originals (1966); Free at Last (1970).

—Brock Helander