Little Willie John

William Edward "Little Willie" John (November 15, 1937 – May 26, 1968) was an American R&B singer who performed in the 1950s and early 1960s. He is best known for his successes on the record charts, with songs such as "All Around the World" (1955), "Need Your Love So Bad" (1956), "Talk to Me, Talk to Me" (1958), "Leave My Kitten Alone" (1960), "Sleep" (1960), and his number-one R&B hit "Fever" (1956). An important figure in R&B music of the 1950s, he faded into obscurity in the 1960s and died while serving a prison sentence for manslaughter. 
==Links to Peel==
Peel was very fond of Little Willie John's 'Fever' track, which he would often say on his radio programmes, was the original and best version of the song, that was later covered by many artists including Madonna. However, Peel also played other material from the singer, especially tracks that came from R&B compilation albums released in the 80's.
==Shows Played==
;thumb|220x220px1984
*31 March 1984 (BFBS): Fever
;1985
*13 August 1985: Need Your Love So Bad (album - Grits And Soul) Charly (JP - 'How nice it would be to hear some of that played on daytime radio. In fact, we're banking on you Simon....')
*21 August 1985: My Baby's In Love With Another Guy (LP - Grits And Soul) Charly R&B
*11 September 1985: Do Something For Me (JP: 'There's a man who can sing most of his competitors to a stand still')
;1987
*04 March 1987: Letter From My Darling (7" - Fever) King
*20 March 1987 (BFBS): Fever / Sleep / Letter From My Darling
;1993
*05 April 1993 (John Peel Is Jakki Brambles): (JP: 'She's such fun, isn't she? That's Madonna of course and her version of 'Fever'. I'll play you the original now, not as you're probably thinking, 'not that Peggy Lee record!' - no, no. The original was by Little Willie John and was one of the great records of all time.') Fever
;1994
*19 March 1994: ‘Letter From My Darling (LP - Free At Last)' (King Records)
;1995
*12 May 1995: 'Leave My Kitten Alone (7 inch)' (King)
;2001
*13 June 2001: Fever
;2002
*28 February 2002: Letter From My Darling (single)
== See Also ==
*Mable John
==External Links==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
Category:Artists