Lost Souls Are Found - The Little Willie John Legacy

"My mother told me, if you call yourself  "Little Stevie Wonder" you had better be as good as Little Willie John".  -Stevie Wonder.

Little Willie John (1937-1968) may be the greatest singer most have never heard.  He was born into poverty, convicted of manslaughter following a knifing incident and died in prison of mysterious circumstances at the age of 30.  In between, he recorded the original version of Fever, Talk to Me, Leave My Kitten Alone (covered by the Beatles) and was a mainstay on the R&B charts with a string of hits marked by his searing, soaring, soothing and swinging delivery.

He never received the acclaim of his peers, Sam Cooke, Clyde McPhatter or James Brown (who recorded a tribute album, "Thinking of Little Willie John and Other Nice Things") but he influenced a generation of R&B singers including Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Levi Stubbs among many others. He was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and inducted by Stevie Wonder.

If you don't know Little Willie John, have a listen. He really was a great one.

Fever

Talk to Me, Talk to Me

Sleep

All Around the World

I'm Shakin'

Little Will John's Fast Life, Mysterious Death and

the Birth of Soul

Stevie Wonder inducts Little Willie John into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame