Little Willie Littlefield

Little Willie Littlefield
Littlefield performing at Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône, France, in 1980
Littlefield performing at Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône, France, in 1980
Background information
Birth nameWillie Littlefield, Jr.
Born(1931-09-16)September 16, 1931
El Campo, Texas, U.S.
DiedJune 23, 2013(2013-06-23) (aged 81)
Voorthuizen, Netherlands
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • producer
Instruments
  • Singing
  • piano
Years active1949–2013
Labels
"Willie's Boogie Medley" sample
Audio sample of "Willie's Boogie Medley", recorded August 1949, Houston, Texas
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Willie Littlefield, Jr.,[2] billed as Little Willie Littlefield (September 16, 1931 – June 23, 2013),[3] was an American R&B and boogie-woogie pianist and singer[4] whose early recordings "formed a vital link between boogie-woogie and rock and roll".[4] Littlefield was regarded as a teenage wonder and overnight sensation when in 1949, at the age of 18, he popularized the triplet piano style on his Modern Records debut single, "It's Midnight".[5] He also recorded the first version of the song "Kansas City" (originally issued as "K. C. Lovin'"), in 1952.

  1. ^ Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music. Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 181. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
  2. ^ Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues: A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. p. 400. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  3. ^ Dahl, Bill. "Little Willie Littlefield: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  4. ^ a b McArdle, Terence. "Little Willie Littlefield, Blues Singer, Boogie-Woogie Pianist, Dies at 81". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  5. ^ Topping, Ray (1999). Liner notes. Kat on the Keys, CDCHD 736.