Larry Williams

Early life Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on May 10, 1935, Williams moved west with his family early in his childhood. He spent some time with relatives in Chicago, Illinois, before relocating to Oakland, California in 1945. Williams learned to play piano as a boy. As a teenager, he joined a local R&B band in Oakland when his parents relocated there.

Career Williams returned to New Orleans in 1954 and began working for his cousin, singer Lloyd Price, as a valet. He played in the bands of Price, Roy Brown, and Percy Mayfield. Price and Little Richard were both recording for Specialty Records. He was introduced to Robert Blackwell, Specialty's house producer, and was signed to the label.

After 1957, Williams did not have much success selling records. He recorded a number of songs in 1958 and 1959, including "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy", which charted at No. 69 on Billboard'''s Pop chart in 1958. "Heebie Jeebies" was recorded with band members such as Plas Johnson on tenor saxophone and Jewel Grant on baritone, René Hall and Howard Roberts on guitars, Gerald Wilson on trumpet, Ernie Freeman or Williams himself on piano, and Earl Palmer on drums. After he was arrested for possession of narcotics and guns in 1959, Williams was dropped from Specialty. He recorded for Chess Records but no hits were produced. Williams then served a three-year jail term, setting back his career considerably. Williams also recorded and released material of his own and with Watson, with some moderate chart success. "Too Late", the B-side of 1967 single "Two for the Price of One" became one of the biggest songs on the Northern Soul scene in England, and remains prized due to its rarity as the single failed commercially.

Williams also began acting in the 1960s, appearing on film in Just for the Hell of It (1968), The Klansman (1974), and Drum (1976). In the 1970s, Williams was briefly involved with disco music.

Personal life and death

Williams' lifestyle involved recreational drug use and abuse, which resulted in trouble with the law. This, with other factors, led to Little Richard's return to born again Christianity and the ministry. His death was deemed a suicide, though there was speculation that he was murdered because of his involvement in drugs and, allegedly, prostitution. Albritton toured the country performing under the moniker of "Big" Larry Williams, and claimed that he recorded the hits "Bony Moronie" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy." He recorded an album in 1990 called Street Party with the Mellow Fellows, previously headed by Big Twist (né Lawrence Millard Nolan; 1937–1990).

Williams' family asked Allbritton to cease billing himself as "Larry Williams".

Discography

AlbumsHere's Larry Williams - 1959 (Specialty Records)Slow Down With Larry Williams (The Missing And Unissued Sides) - 1960 (Specialty Records)Larry Williams On Stage! Recorded Live - 1964 (Sue Records)The Larry Williams Show featuring Johnny "Guitar" Watson - 1965 (Decca Records, UK)Two For the Price of One (with Johnny "Guitar" Watson) - 1967 (Okeh Records)Larry Williams' Greatest Hits - 1967 (Okeh Records - re-recordings of Specialty hits)That Larry Williams: The Resurrection of Funk - 1978 (Fantasy Records)Unreleased Larry Williams'' - 1986 (Specialty Records - never before released tracks)

Singles