September 16, 1931 – June 23, 2013
Little Willie was born in El Campo, Texas and grew up in Houston with his mother. He was known as a Boy Wonder in Houston, playing boogie-woogie piano in clubs on Dowling Street by the time he was 14 and recording for Eddie’s Records when he was 17. He started his first band with Don Wilkerson, a friend from school who played saxophone.
His first recording “Little Willie’s Boogie” got the attention of Modern Record, who brought him to LA in 1949 where he recorded “It’s Midnight”, which hit #3 on the R&B charts. He had several more popular tunes for Modern Records the next few years, then moved to Federal, a subsidiary of King Records. His first song there was called “K.C. Lovin’”, which we know today as “Goin’ to Kansas City”. He recorded throughout the 1950s without much further success.
He continued to play in supper clubs throughout northern California until the late 1970s when he joined the Festival circuits. He played in Festivals in the US and Europe, finally marrying a Dutch woman and settling in the Netherlands in 1982. He made several albums over the next several years and came to the US for occasional Festivals. He retired in 2000.
He came back to touring in 2006, stating, “I fished for 5 years, I missed my audience. Now I’m back”. He toured in the Netherlands until 2011 when cancer struck.
Happy Birthday Little Willie! Thanks for the Boogie!
1st RECORDING OF: Kansas City (as ‘K.C. Loving’) – Little Willie Littlefield (1952)