Little Willie John

Little Willie John
John circa 1955
Background information
Birth name	William Edward John
Born	(1937-11-15)November 15, 1937 Cullendale, Arkansas, U.S.
Origin	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died	May 26, 1968(1968-05-26) (aged 30) Walla Walla, Washington, U.S.
Genres	R&B Soul
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1955–1968
Labels	King Records

William Edward "Little Willie" John (November 15, 1937 – May 26, 1968)

John was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2022, John was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.^[5]

Biography

John was born in

John was involved in the civil rights fight against segregation. He performed a benefit concert for the NAACP in 1964, telling Jet magazine: "As entertainers, we can no longer sit and wait for the Sammy Davis' and Harry Belafonte's to raise all of the money."^[15]

John was also known for his short temper and propensity to abuse alcohol. He was arrested multiple times for charges that include narcotics, swindling, and grand larceny.^[16][17][18] John was dropped by his record company, King Records, in 1963.^[8] In 1965, he was convicted of manslaughter for the 1964 stabbing of Kendall Roundtree in Seattle.^[19] He was sent to Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.^[4] John appealed the conviction and was released on probation while the case was reconsidered, during which time he recorded what was intended to be his comeback album.^[20] Due to contractual disputes and the decline of his appeal, it was not released until 2008 (as Nineteen Sixty Six).^[21]

John died at Washington State Penitentiary on May 26, 1968. Despite counterclaims,^[22] the cause of death stated on his death certificate was a heart attack.^[7] His interment was in Detroit Memorial Park East, in Warren, Michigan.

John was survived by his wife Darlynn (née Bonner), whom he married on May 25, 1957; two children, William Kevin John (b. February 3, 1958) and Darryl Keith John (b. January 25, 1960); his mother; five brothers; three sisters.

John was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, presented by Stevie Wonder.^[23]

The guitarist and songwriter Robbie Robertson, formerly of The Band, mentioned John in the song "Somewhere Down the Crazy River", on his 1987 self-titled album. John was also mentioned in Tom Russell's "Blue Wing" and Mark Lanegan's "Like Little Willie John", from his 2004 album Bubblegum. The Swedish singer songwriter Peter LeMarc recorded a song entitled "Little Willie John" in 1991.

A biography, Fever: Little Willie John, a Fast Life, Mysterious Death and the Birth of Soul, by Susan Whitall with Kevin John (another of his sons), was published by

In June 2016, Little Willie John was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.[27]

In 2022, John was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.^[5] His induction citation noted "... John was a sharply attired and exciting showstopper, recalled by fellow singers as mischievous, fun-loving, and generous".^[5]

Singles discography

References