Larry Williams
| Larry Williams | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lawrence Eugene Williams |
| Born |
May 10, 1935 New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Origin | New Orleans |
| Died | January 7, 1980 (aged 44) Los Angeles, California Interment Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California. |
| Genres |
Rock and roll Rhythm and blues Funk Soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, pianist, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano |
| Years active | 1954–1979 |
| Labels | Specialty, Okeh, London |
Lawrence Eugene "Larry" Williams (May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams is best known for writing and recording some rock and roll classics from 1957 to 1959 for Specialty Records, including "Bony Moronie", "Short Fat Fannie", "High School Dance" (1957), "Slow Down", "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" (1958), "Bad Boy" and "She Said Yeah" (1959).John Lennon was a fan, and The Beatles and several other British Invasion groups covered several of his songs.
Williams' life mixed tremendous success with violence and drug addiction. He was a long-time friend of Little Richard.
Williams learned how to play piano at a young age. The family moved to Oakland, California when he was a teen, and there he joined the Lemon Drops, a R&B group. Williams returned to New Orleans in 1954 and began working for his cousin, singer Lloyd Price, as a valet and played in the bands of Price, Roy Brown, and Percy Mayfield. In 1955, Williams met and developed a friendship with Little Richard, who was recording at the time in New Orleans. Price and Penniman were both recording for Specialty Records. Williams was introduced to Specialty's house producer, Robert Blackwell, and was signed to record.
In 1957, Little Richard was Specialty's biggest star, but bolted from rock and roll to pursue the ministry. Williams was quickly groomed by Blackwell to try to replicate his success. Using the same raw, shouting vocals and piano-driven intensity, Williams scored with a number of hit singles.
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