More Sad News

Little Willie Littlefield (1931-2013)

R&B singer and boogie-woogie pianist Little Willie Littlefield, best known for having recorded the original version of “Kansas City,” died of cancer on June 23 at the age of 81 at his home in Voorthuizen, the Netherlands. 

Willie Littlefield was born in El Campo, Texas on September 16, 1931, and grew up in Houston. He began to play the guitar at age 6 and the piano shortly afterwards. As a teenager, he and tenor saxophonist Don Wilkerson formed a band that burned up Houston's Dowling Street.  Willie became a teenaged sensation. The band came to the attention of dic jockey Eddie Henry, and Littlefield cut his first record, “Little Willie's Boogie” for Eddie's Records at the age of 16.

After a visit to Houston by Jules Bihari, he moved up to Modern Records in Los Angeles in 1949. His first Modern release, “It's Midnight,” went to #3 on the R&B charts. It was an early example of the use of piano triplets, a technique used extensively by Fats Domino. Littlefield's use of triplets preceded Domino's, although it's doubtful that either of them originated the style.

Littlefield had about a dozen releases on Modern, often accompanied by Maxwell Davis on tenor sax. Two others, “Farewell” and “I've Been Lost” (with Little Lora Wiggins) also made the charts. These recordings, along with many alternate takes and unreleased sides, can be found on two Ace CDs, Kat on the Keys and Boogie, Blues and Bounce.

In 1952, he moved to Federal Records, where he released seven singles. The first of these was originally called “K. C. Loving.” Littlefield claimed to have written the song and sold it to Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. If so, it was a huge mistake. The song was rerecorded by Wilbert Harrison in 1959 under the title “Kansas City,” and it went to #1 on the R&B charts. Harrison's version is less interesting than Littlefield's and features toned-down lyrics.

      Harrison: “They've got some crazy little women there, and I'm gonna get me one.”

      Littlefield: “They've got a crazy way of lovin', and I'm gonna get me some.”

While at Federal, Littlefield also recorded duets with Little Esther and Lil Greenwood. In spite of the high quality of these sides, none of them made the charts. They are collected on the Ace CD Going Back to Kay Cee.

In 1957-58, he recorded ten sides for Bullseye Records in San Francisco. One of these, “Ruby, Ruby,” backed by Alice Jean and the Mondellos, is a favorite among R&B vocal group fans.

Littlefield's career went into a decline in the '60s, but in the early '70s he made a triumphant return at the San Francisco Blues Festival. This led to his first successful European tour in 1978. Around 1980, he married a Dutch woman and, following the example of many other blues and jazz musicians, settled permanently in the Netherlands. During the '80s and '90s, he recorded at least ten albums for European labels, most of which are not available in this country.

Little Willie Littlefield performed widely throughout Europe for the last 30 years and retained his ability to play the piano up to the end. A great showman, part of his stage routine included removing his right shoe and pounding the keys with it. Here he is doing an extended version in "Sweet Home Chicago" in the U. K. in 2009. (You might also want to check out this performance of "Every Day I Have the Blues.")

Texas Johnny Brown (1928-2013)

Texas Johnny Brown had very few recordings under his own name and was not very well known outside his home state, but he was a favorite of blues and R&B musicians. He died of lung and liver cancer in Houston on July 1, about a week after the death of Bobby “Blue” Bland, with whom he played for many years. He was 85.

Despite his nickname, John Reilly Brown was actually born in Ackerman, Mississippi on February 22, 1928. As a child, he played acoustic guitar with his father, who was a blind street singer. However, he also listened to jazz guitarist Charlie Christian, whose influence can be heard on his fluid electric guitar lines.

He moved to Houston in the '40s and in 1946 became an original member of Amos Milburn's Aladdin Chickenshackers, one of the most popular R&B bands of the day. Although most discographies do not identify Milburn's guitarist, chances are good that he played on most of Milburn's hits. In 1949, he got his first opportunity to record under his own name, backed by Milburn and the band. He recorded six sides for Atlantic, two of which were released as Atlantic 876, “There Goes the Blues”/”The Blues Rock.” He also recorded four songs for Decca in 1950. Here he is performing "There Go the Blues" in Houston earlier this year.

After a stint in the military, Johnny Brown returned to Houston and became a regular member of Joe Scott's band, which backed up most Duke and Peacock recordings. He also toured regularly with Bobby “Blue” Bland and Little Junior Parker. He was the composer of “Two Steps From the Blues,” not a hit single, but the title song of one of Bland's best selling albums.

Brown quit the music business in 1963 and worked primarily as a truck driver until he retired in 1991. At this point, he formed his aptly named Quality Blues Band and performed steadily for the next two decades. In 1995, he recorded his first CD, Nothin' But the Truth, on the Choctaw Creek label. It was nominated for a Handy Award and was followed by Blues Defender in 2001. This version of "Just Can't Do It" from 2011 is typical of his more recent songs. You might also want to check out this excellent five-song set from an outdoor concert, Blues on the Hill, which can be found here and here.

You may also be interested in reading:

The Soul of a Man:  Bobby "Blue" Bland (1930-2013)