Little Willie John - Biography
Little Willie John was an American Rhythm & Blues singer. After several hits in the 1950s and early '60s, he was imprisoned for manslaughter and died in prison at just thirty-years-old.
William Edward John (or William Edgar John according to other sources) was born on November 15th, 1937 in Cullendale, Arkansas. His father, Mertis, worked as a logger there and in north Louisiana. His mother, Lillie, played guitar and sang gospel. William was one of ten children. One of his sisters, Mable, later recorded with Ray Charles as a Raelette. His older brother Mertis John Jr., later became a songwriter. In 1942, the Johns moved to Detroit where the kids began performing as a gospel group. He later sang with the Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams Orchestra where he was noticed by Johnny Otis and subsequently, Henry Glover. He was fired from the band due to his already erratic behavior, allegedly fueled by his small stature and abuse of alcohol. He was also known to frequently carry both a knife and gun. Nevertheless, Glover signed him to King records where his first recording, "All Around the World" was a hit. "Need Your Love So Bad" was one of his brother Mertis's compositions.
In 1956 he scored a crossover hit with "Fever," which reached #24 on the pop charts and sold over a million copies. His full-length debut, Fever (1956 King), followed. He toured in support into 1957 with James Brown & his Famous Flames as his opening act. Mister Little Willie John (1958 King) sweetened his sound somewhat, adding a vocal chorus to the songs. The single, "Talk to Me, Talk to Me," climbed to number twenty and again, sold over a million copies, and appeared on Talk to Me (1959 King). In 1960, "Sleep" provided him with his biggest hit yet. It was included on Sure Things (1961 King), the cover of which portrayed the singer as a diminutive horse jockey. 1962's Come On And Join Little Willie John At A Recording Session (1962 King) failed to match its predecessor's success and he was dropped from his label the following year. King would go on to mine the vaults and ultimately release These Are My Favorite Songs (1964) and Little Willie John Sings All Originals (1966).
Meanwhile, without a recording contract, John toured the club circuit. In August, 1964, we was arrested after he attacked a man with a broken bottle. Then, in October, a man made the mistake of taking a chair that had been occupied by John's date. After John confronted him, the man punched him. John retaliated by stabbing his attacker to death. The following year he was charged with murder. After posting $10,000 bond, he continued touring and began recording what was meant to be his comeback album, the David Axelrod and HB Barnum-produced Nineteen Sixty Six (2008 Kent) in February, 1966. When trial resumed he was sentenced from eight to twenty years for manslaughter. The album was shelved until 2008, when it was released by Kent. On May 26th, 1968, Little Willie John died at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. The official cause of death was listed as heart attack although claims of pneumonia and asphyxiation at the hands of prison guards or fellow inmates also floated around.