Little Willie Littlefield
“Little” Willie Littlefield (b 16 September 1931, El Campo, Texas) is an American R&B pianist and singer.
Influenced by Albert Ammons, Charles Brown, and Amos Milburn, his first recording, “Little Willie’s Boogie” was a hit in Texas in 1949, and brought him to the attention of Jules, one of the Bihari brothers of Modern Records in Los Angeles. There, he recorded “It’s Midnight”, which became a national hit reaching # 3 on the Billboard R&B charts. He became a major club attraction and recorded with top West Coast musicians such as Maxwell Davis.
In 1952 he moved to King Records, his first session producing “K.C. Loving”, later re-recorded by Wilbert Harrison as “Kansas City”. However, Littlefield’s recording and his subsequent releases were not successful, although he remained a successful club act in the San Francisco area.
In the late 1970s he toured Europe successfully, later settling in the Netherlands and releasing a number of albums. He continues to perform occasionally, mainly at festivals.
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Articles lacking sources from December 2006 | All articles lacking sources | Living people | African American musicians | Rhythm and blues musicians | 1931 births