Wet Willie
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Wet Willie | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
| Genres | Southern rock |
| Years active | 1970–1980; 1990-present |
| Labels | |
| Members |
|
| Past members |
|
| Website | www |
Wet Willie is an American rock band from Mobile, Alabama. Their best-known song, "Keep On Smilin'", reached No. 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 1974. Several other of the group's songs also appeared on the singles charts in the 1970s, which utilized their soulful brand of Southern rock.
History
Drummer Lewis Ross assembled the musicians for a group called "Fox" in the summer of 1969, and after relocating from Mobile, Alabama to
Allman Brothers Band
in 1971, and still perform today. When Jimmy Hall is with the band, it is billed as Wet Willie, otherwise as The Wet Willie Band.
Band members
The core members of the band during that period were
Leslie Hawkins
. Michael Duke debuted on the album Dixie Rock adding keyboards and vocals, and stayed with the band through their tenure in the Southern rock era. A period of personnel and record label changes followed and in 1978 with a new Epic Records contract the new line-up included Jimmy and Jack Hall, Mike Duke, drummer T.K. Lively, and guitarists Marshall Smith and Larry Berwald through 1980. After a brief hiatus the band regrouped in 1990 featuring the siblings Jimmy, Jack and Donna Hall, along with original keyboardist John David Anthony, drummer T.K. Lively and long-time members guitarists Ric Seymour and Ricky Chancey.
Recordings
Wet Willie put out several albums on
live album, Drippin' Wet, but their main claim to fame is the hit single, "Keep On Smilin,'" which reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.[3] They also enjoyed some other Billboard charting singles with "Country Side of Life," "Everything That 'Cha Do (Will Come Back to You)", "Leona," and from their Epic Records
period, "Street Corner Serenade" and "Weekend" from the LPs Manorisms and Which One's Willie?
Current formations
In 2012, Wet Willie released a new live CD Miles of Smiles on the Hittin' The Note Records label. They continue to tour with three original members including original lead singer Jimmy Hall, brother Jack Hall on bass and vocals, sister Donna Hall Foster on vocals, as well as other long time members, drummer T.K. Lively, Ric Seymour on guitar and vocals, Ricky Chancey on guitar and newest member, keyboardist Bobby Mobley.
Achievements
- America’s Music Award from the Alabama Hall of Fame - 1976
- Inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame - 2014
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | US
|
AUS[4] | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wet Willie | — | |||||||||||||
| Wet Willie II |
|
— | — | |||||||||||
| Keep On Smilin' |
|
41 | — | |||||||||||
| Dixie Rock |
|
114 | — | |||||||||||
| The Wetter The Better |
|
133 | — | |||||||||||
| Manorisms |
|
118 | 93 | |||||||||||
| Which One's Willie? |
|
172 | — | |||||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
Live albums
| Title | Details | US
|
|---|---|---|
| Drippin' Wet |
|
189 |
| Left Coast Live |
|
191 |
| Miles of Smiles |
|
— |
Compilation albums
| Title | Details | US
| ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greatest Hits |
|
158 | ||||||||||||
| The Best of Wet Willie |
|
— | ||||||||||||
| The Best of Wet Willie (20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection) |
|
— | ||||||||||||
| Epic Willie (The Epic Recordings) |
|
— | ||||||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
Source: Allmusic.com[5]
Singles
| Year | Single | US Hot 100 | Canada[6] | AUS[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | "Rock & Roll Band" | — | — | — |
| 1972 | "Shout Bamalama" | — | — | — |
| 1974 | "Keep On Smilin'" | 10 | 21 | — |
| "Country Side of Life" | 66 | — | — | |
| 1975 | "Leona" | 69 | 92 | — |
| "Dixie Rock" | 96 | — | — | |
| 1976 | "Ring You Up" | — | — | — |
| "Baby Fat" | — | — | — | |
| "Everything That 'cha Do" | 66 | — | — | |
| 1977 | "Street Corner Serenade" | 30 | 30 | 41 |
| 1978 | "Make You Feel Love Again" | 45 | 62 | — |
| 1979 | " Weekend "
|
29 | 34 | — |
| "Ramona" | — | — | — |
References
- ^ "The Official Wet Willie Page". Ktb.net. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
- ^ Eder, Bruce. "Wet Willie - Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ^ ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ^ ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Wet Willie - Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - Search results". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013.
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
