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Died On This Date (May 26, 1968) Little Willie John / Early R&B Great

Posted by themusicsover on May 26, 2010

Little Willie John
November 15, 1937 – May 26, 1968

As one of R&B’s unsung heroes, Little Willie John sang with a robust voice and an emotional range that would be cited as an influence by no less than Sam Cooke, James Brown, Jackie Wilson and Al Green. Discovered at the age of 17 by music impresario Johnny Otis, John signed to King Records where he had a run of hits that included “All Around The World,” “I’m Shakin’,” “Sufferin’ With The Blues,” and “Fever,” which would later be huge hits for both Peggy Lee and Elvis Presley. His songs were also covered by the Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, James Brown and the Blasters. His career came to a screeching halt in 1964 when he stabbed a man to death. His notorious bad temper and alcoholism likely played a role in the altercation. John was sent to Washington State Prison where he died of pneumonia in 1968.  Recognition for his contributions to popular music finally came three decades later, when John was elected to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

What You Should Own

Little Willie John: All 15 of His Chart Hits from 1953-1962 - Little Willie John

4 Responses to “Died On This Date (May 26, 1968) Little Willie John / Early R&B Great”

  1. Anne said

    the song (and the voice) certainly does live on thanks to you

    • themusicsover.com said

      He certainly had a great voice!
      Thanks for stopping by, Anne
      Vince

  2. Kai B. Luke R.N. said

    I infer that this gentleman was the first to have “Fever” released as a single.Am I correct?In the event that I am I think that its cool to hear the original version of the song.Songs are so frequently covered that you rarely ever have the opportunity to know who was first. I mean save the songs that no one covers because the original versions were so fierce that others(record companies) doubt the likelihood of producing a commercial rendition of the song.

  3. R&B Fan said

    Check out the biography on Little Willie John…he packed a lot of living into 30 years…

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