Fever: Little Willie John's Fast Life, Mysterious Death and the Birth of Soul: The Authorized Biography Review

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Fever: Little Willie John's Fast Life, Mysterious Death and the Birth of Soul: The Authorized Biography ReviewAnyone with an interest in American music should buy this book. Susan Whitall finally fills a huge gap in the history of popular music by giving us the first in-depth biography of one of America's greatest vocalists, and in the bargain provides a fascinating glimpse into the birth of rock and roll.
One could argue that the birth of jazz in the early 20th century and the incorporation of black church music and vocal stylings into pop music in the 1950s were the most influential and liberating developments in the long and fabled history of American music. Willie John burst onto the scene in 1955 as a hit-making 17-year-old with a huge, blues-drenched voice that belied his small frame and captivated anyone who came in contact with it. Willie John, Ray Charles, and Sam Cooke were the chief architects of what became known as "soul music"; they set the vocal and instrumental patterns upon which that style is rooted. Willie's popularity with the public was only exceeded by his profound influence. His contemporaries -- B.B. King, Joe Tex, Sam Cooke, Jimmy Scott, Johnny Otis, Levi Stubbs -- were his biggest fans, and his unique vocal approach left its mark on a generation of r&b singers, including James Brown (who idolized Willie), Aretha Franklin, Sam Moore, Dave Prater, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, and George Benson, to name just a few.
Willie John, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, died tragically in prison at the age of 30. But he spent half of his short life touring and recording, and he left a rich legacy of stellar studio work, including a remarkable session for Capitol that was recorded while John was awaiting sentencing for a manslaughter conviction but wasn't released until recently. Susan Whitall, a skilled writer and an expert on the Detroit music scene that spawned Willie John, worked closely with the John family on the biography, and the mercurial personality of John comes alive in the pages of "Fever." Whitall doesn't dodge the rougher edges of John's life and personality, but the primary picture the book gives of him is that of an irrepressible, highly intelligent, upbeat, hyperactive super-talent with a big heart. The book relies on extensive interviews with many of Willie's contemporaries, and it's also replete with remarkable photos of Willie in personal and professional settings. There's a comprehensive discograpy of John's recordings, too.
Whitall's book reintroduces us to that hard-to-imagine time in the late 1950s when black rhythm and blues performers were striving to find a larger audience and struggling to survive on the chitlin' circuit. Whitall recounts in loving detail the package tours that dominated that era--it boggles the mind to think of seeing Sam Cooke, LaVern Baker, Little Willie John, the Upsetters, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, the Five Royales, and Jerry Butler in a single show, but such star-studded caravans were commonplace.
In the middle of it all was the haunting and supremely soulful voice of Little Willie John, who finally has had his story told. Congratulations to Susan Whitall and the John family for recounting bringing him to live so compellingly.Fever: Little Willie John's Fast Life, Mysterious Death and the Birth of Soul: The Authorized Biography Overview

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