Little David Wilkins

Little David Wilkins
Born (1945-05-18) May 18, 1945 (age 79)
Parsons, Tennessee
GenresCountry
OccupationSinger
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano
Years active1969-current
LabelsSun Records
Plantation Records
MCA
Charly Records Sun/Plantation subsidiary
Playboy
Epic [16th Avenue Records][BearFamily Records Sun Records Vol #6]

Little David Wilkins (born May 18, 1945[1]) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and pianist. Between 1969 and 1977, he recorded for MCA Records with whom he released his greatest number of chart hits.

Wilkins performed at a nightclub in Parsons, Tennessee during the 1960s. He rose to fame as the writer of many songs that were performed by other artists; his first was Brenda Lee's 1966 hit single "Coming on Strong". Other artists who have recorded his songs include Charley Pride, Billy "Crash" Craddock, Jack Greene, Leroy Van Dyke, Stonewall Jackson, Sonny James, Ronnie Dove, Barbara Mandrell, and Percy Sledge.[2]

He was also the inspiration behind Elvis Presley's 1975 single "T-R-O-U-B-L-E".[3]

One of Wilkins' songs, "Georgia Keeps Pulling on My Ring", was later covered by Conway Twitty.[4]

After his success in songwriting for other artists brought him attention, Wilkins began recording his own songs, beginning with a 1969 single "Just Blow In His Ear".

  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 462. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  2. ^ Edwards, Joe (2 April 1977). "David Wilkins is now coming on strong". The Free-Lance Star. Associated Press. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  3. ^ "Story Behind the Song: T-R-O-U-B-L-E". Country Weekly. 3 December 2002. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  4. ^ Stambler, Irwin; Landon, Grelun; Stambler, Lyndon (2000). Country Music: The Encyclopedia. Macmillan. p. 510. ISBN 9780312264871.