- Little Willie John
Infobox musical artist
Name = Little Willie John
Img_capt =
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = William Edward John
Alias =
Born =November 15 ,1937
Died = death date and age|1968|5|26|1938|11|15
Origin = Cullendale,Arkansas , USA
Instrument =
Voice_type =
Genre =
Occupation =
Years_active = 1950s - 1968
Label =King Records
Associated_acts =
URL =
Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =Little Willie John (
November 15 ,1937 –May 26 ,1968 ) was an AmericanR&B singer of the 1950s and early 1960s, best known for his hits "All around the World" (1955) and the much-covered "Fever" (1956), a tune copied byPeggy Lee and made famous in 1958.cite book |last= Fox |first= Ted |title= Showtime at the Apollo |publisher= Da Capo |year= 1983 |isbn= 0-647-01612-2 |pages = pp 198–200]History
He was born William Edgar John in Cullendale,
Arkansas , but by 1953 was in theDetroit area, where he was discovered byJohnny Otis when he was 17, playingR&B clubs. This led to a recording contract with King Records and a string of R&B hits beginning with the soulful "All around the World" (1955) and including "I'm Shakin' " byRudy Toombs ,cite web
url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0867514/bio
title=Biography for Rudy Toombs
publisher=IMBD
accessdate=2006-11-01 ] "Suffering with the Blues", "Need Your Love So Bad", "Sleep" (1960) (Pop #13). His biggest hit "Fever" (1956) (Pop #24) was even more famously covered byPeggy Lee in 1958. Another song, "Talk to Me" recorded in 1958, reached #5 in the R&B chart and #20 in the pop chart. A few years later it was a hit once again bySunny and the Sunglows . In all, John made the Billboard Top 100 a total of 14 times. A cover version of "I Need Your Love So Bad" by the originalFleetwood Mac group was also a big hit in Europe.John was known for his erratic behavior due to
alcoholism , and he had a habit of carrying a gun. He was insecure regarding his 5 ft 2 in (1.63 m) height. Little Willie John died in 1968 atWashington State Prison inWalla Walla, Washington . He had been imprisoned for stabbing a man to death in October 1964. The official cause of death is listed as a heart attack, though some report he died ofpneumonia orasphyxiation .Fact|date=May 2008Little Willie John was posthumously inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.He was the brother of singer
Mable John , who recorded forMotown (early years of the Tamla label) and Stax, and the father of Keith John, long time background singer with Stevie WonderJames Brown recorded atribute album "Thinking of Little Willie John... And a Few Other Nice Things".Notes
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.