Little Willie John "Grits & Soul" 1955

Big thanks for this one (The Philly Sound), concentring the essential. Another vinyl rip, I bought that one on a second hand market, the seller who really had good discs (but I had not much money...), insisted so that I take it, underlining that there was the 'hit ' ' Fever ', and it made well because it remains my favourite version of this song. Enjoy!!! - Magic Kaic's MusicHe never received the accolades given to the likes of Sam Cooke, Clyde McPhatter, and James Brown, but Little Willie John ranks as one of R&B's most influential performers. His muscular high timbre and enormous technical and emotional range belied his young age (his first hit came when he was 18), but his mid-'50s work for Syd Nathan's King label would play a great part in the way soul music would sound. Everyone from Cooke, McPhatter, and Brown to Jackie Wilson, B.B. King, and Al Green has acknowledged his debt to this most overlooked of rock and soul pioneers.

His debut recording, a smoking version of Titus Turner's "All Around the World" from 1955, set the pattern for a remarkable string of hits: "Need Your Love So Bad," "Suffering with the Blues," "Fever," "Let Them Talk," and his last, "Sleep," from 1961. His version of "Fever" was copied note for note by Peggy Lee and Elvis Presley, both of whom had bigger hits with it; John's version, however, remains definitive. His second hit, "Need Your Love So Bad," contains one of the most intimate, tear-jerking vocals ever caught on tape.

John had a volatile temper, fueled by a taste for liquor and an insecurity regarding his slight height (5 feet 4 inches). He was known to pack a gun and knife; in 1964, he stabbed a man and was sent to the Washington State penitentiary, where he died of pneumonia in 1968. James Brown recorded a tribute album to John that year, and his material has been recorded by scores of artists from the Beatles to Fleetwood Mac to the Blasters. Nevertheless, Little Willie John remains a stranger to most listeners and has never received the respect his talent deserves. - AllMusic

trax:

01 All Around The World 02 Need Your Love So Bad 03 Fever 04 Do Something For Me 05 Suffering With The Blues 06 I've Been Around 07 Person To Person 08 Talk To Me, Talk To Me 09 Let's Rock While The Rockin's Good 10 Let Them Talk 11 Leave My Kitten Alone 12 Walk Slow 13 You Hurt Me 14 My Baby's in Love With Another Guy 15 Big Blue Diamonds 16 Come Back to Me

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