{"id":583,"date":"2013-07-04T12:00:11","date_gmt":"2013-07-04T16:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mattthecat.com\/Blog2\/?p=583"},"modified":"2013-07-04T12:00:11","modified_gmt":"2013-07-04T16:00:11","slug":"little-willie-littlefield-dies-at-81","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mattthecat.com\/Blog2\/2013\/07\/04\/little-willie-littlefield-dies-at-81\/","title":{"rendered":"Little Willie Littlefield Dies at 81"},"content":{"rendered":"

Little Willie Littlefield<\/span><\/h1>\n

\"Little<\/a><\/p>\n

1931 – 2013<\/span><\/h3>\n

We just learned of the death of blues singer\/pianist LITTLE WILLIE LITTLEFIELD.\u00c2\u00a0 He actually passed away on June 23 in the Netherlands.\u00c2\u00a0 LITTLEFIELD was 81 and died of cancer.\u00c2\u00a0 He was born on Sept. 16, 1931 in El Campo, TX and began playing guitar at an early age.\u00c2\u00a0 By his teens, LITTLEFIELD had switched to piano and had already started developing his trademark boogie woogie piano-style of triplet playing.\u00c2\u00a0 By 1948, he was making a name for himself and caught the attention of the Bihari Brothers of Modern Records.\u00c2\u00a0 They brought him out to LA and in the early fall of 1949, LITTLEFIELD took the R&B charts by storm with “It’s Midnight (No Place To Go)” (Modern), reaching #3 on the national R&B Chart.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Two other hit singles followed: “Farewell” (#5 in ’49) and “I’m Lost” with Little Lora Wiggins (#10 in ’51).\u00c2\u00a0 LITTLEFIELD will always be remembered as the cat who first laid down the Leiber\/Stoller classic “Kansas City” (first called “KC Lovin'” when LITTLEFIELD cut it in ’52).\u00c2\u00a0 His version didn’t chart, but it set the mold for the hit versions that would follow, especially Wilbert Harrison’s 1959 chart-topper on Fury Records.\u00c2\u00a0 Little Richard and The Beatles were two other big artists from the long list that have recorded versions of “Kansas City.”\u00c2\u00a0 LITTLEFIELD didn’t have any more chart hits, but he continued to release records on Federal, including duets with label-mates Lil Greenwood and Little Esther until the mid-1950s.\u00c2\u00a0 In the 1970s, while getting into the swing of doing European tours, LITTLEFIELD decided to settle in the Netherlands, where he married and spent the rest of his life.\u00c2\u00a0 He was there for the development of post-war rhythm & blues and rock n’ roll and remained true to his artform.\u00c2\u00a0 He continued to perform the boogie woogie piano style he helped to develop until the day he died.<\/span><\/p>\n

-MTC
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