| Genres: |
Blues,
Pop / Rock,
R&B / Soul
|
| Descriptive "tags": |
rock and roll, rockabilly, rock 'n' roll, 50s, new orleans
|
| Decades Active: |
1950s,
1960s,
1970s,
1980s,
1990s,
2000s
|
Biography
10 May 1935, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, d. 2 January 1980, Los Angeles, California, USA. Williams recorded a handful of raucous rock ‘n’ roll songs for Specialty Records that later influenced, among others, John Lennon. Williams learned to play the piano while in New Orleans, and moved to Oakland, California, with his family while in his teens. There he joined a group called the Lemon Drops. In 1954, while visiting his old hometown of New Orleans, he met and was hired as a pianist by Lloyd Price, who recorded for Specialty. Price introduced Williams to producer Robert ‘Bumps’ Blackwell. At that time Specialty head Art Rupe signed Williams. His first record was a cover version of Price’s ‘Just Because’, which reached number 11 on the R&B chart for Williams and number 3 for Price. Backed by fellow Specialty artist Little Richard’s band, Williams recorded his own ‘Short Fat Fannie’, which reached number 1 in the....
Read the Full Biography of Larry Williams
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