TOUR NOTES BIOGRAPHIES
Larry Williams
Some of Larry Williams’ hits include "Bony Maroney", "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy", "Short Fat Fannie", "Bad Boy" and "She Said Yeah".
Born in New Orleans, Williams moved to Oakland, California and joined an R&B group called The Lemon Drops. Upon visiting his hometown of New Orleans, Williams met key people from Specialty Records and soon signed a solo recording contract.
At this time, Little Richard had just given up music to join the ministry. Shortly after, Williams cut his first single, "Just Because" with Little Richard’s backing band. The song peaked at number 11 on the R&B charts in 1957. Once Little Richard completely left the label, the label put all its energy into making Williams a star in the form of Little Richard.
Williams’ post-Little Richard single hit was "Short Fat Fannie" which shot to number one on the R&B charts and number 5 on the pop charts. His next hit, "Bony Maronie" reached number four on the R&B charts and number 14 on the pop charts. His following singles, however, became minor pop hits, but he continued to become a popular import item in the UK.
In 1959, Williams was arrested for selling narcotics. This left him without a record deal and he drifted through a number of labels in the early 1960’s. By the mid 60’s, Williams released a few Top 40 hits including, "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" and "Nobody".
In 1980, Larry Williams was found dead in his Los Angeles home, he died of a gunshot wound to his head.
Read more on Larry Williams at: www.tsimon.com/williams.htm
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