Robert Lee "Chick" Willis (September 24, 1934 – December 7, 2013)
was an American
blues singer and guitarist, who performed and recorded from the 1950s to the 2000s.
Biography
He was born in
Cabaniss,
Monroe County, Georgia, the cousin of
Chuck Willis
Harold "Chuck" Willis (January 31, 1926 – April 10, 1958) was an American blues, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll singer and songwriter. His biggest hits, " C. C. Rider" (1957) and "What Am I Living For" (1958), both reached No.1 on the ''Bil ...
. He served in the military in the early 1950s, before working as a chauffeur for Chuck Willis during his heyday. He won a talent show at the Magnolia Ballroom in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
and made his first
record in 1956, with the
Ebb Records' single "You're Mine". Initially, he only sang, but learned guitar while touring with his cousin;
Guitar Slim
Eddie Jones (December 10, 1926 – February 7, 1959), better known as Guitar Slim, was an American guitarist in the 1940s and 1950s, best known for the million-selling song " The Things That I Used to Do", for Specialty Records. It is listed in t ...
was one of his foremost influences.
After Chuck's death in 1958, Willis played with
Elmore James
Elmore James ( Brooks; January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ...
, recording singles through the 1960s for
Atco Atco or ATCO may refer to:
Businesses
* ATCO, a Canadian diversified company involved in manufacturing, utilities, energy and technologies
** ATCO Electric, a subsidiary of the above company
* Atco (British mower company), a mower manufacturing ...
and other labels. His 1972 release, "Stoop Down Baby Let Your Daddy See", was a
jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to sele ...
hit but secured no radio
airplay
Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...
, due to its sexually explicit content.
The song was one he had developed when working at a
carnival show, where he would tease passers-by with ribald rhymes. Some of his later recordings reworked the song. Another of his
dirty blues
Dirty blues encompasses forms of blues music that deal with socially taboo and obscene subjects, often referring to sexual acts and drug use. Due to the sometimes graphic subject matter, such music was often banned from radio and only available on ...
recordings was his cover of "
Mother Fuyer
"Mother Fuyer" is a jump blues song, written and recorded by Dirty Red in 1947. The single was released by Aladdin Records on a 78 rpm, 10" shellac single record.
Background
The words "mother for you" or "mother fuyer", as minced oaths for " ...
",
which appeared on his 1972 album ''Stoop Down Baby... Let Your Daddy See'', and released as the
B-side to his "Stoop Down Baby Let Your Daddy See" single on La Val Records.
Willis claimed songwriting credits.
He released a steady stream of albums on
Ichiban Records
Ichiban Records is an American independent record label, founded in 1985 by John Abbey and Nina Easton in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
History
Wrap Records and Nastymix Records were some of its subsidiary labels. Urgent! Records and Mr. Henr ...
in the 1980s and 1990s, and continued to record into the 2000s.
[
He died on December 7, 2013, aged 79. Howard Pousner, "Georgia bluesman Chick Willis, 79, dies", AccessAtlanta]
. Retrieved December 10, 2013
Discography
*''Stoop Down Baby... Let Your Daddy See'' (La Val), 1972)
*''Chick Sings Chuck'' (Ichiban, 1985)
*''Now'' (Ichiban, 1988)
*''Footprints in My Bed'' (Ichiban, 1990)
*''Back to the Blues'' (Ichiban, 1991)
*''Holdin' Hands with the Blues'' (Ichiban, 1992)
*''Nasty Chick'' (Ichiban, 1992)
*''I Got a Big Fat Woman'' (Ichiban, 1994)
*''Blue Class Blues'' (Paula, 1998)
*''Y2K Recorded Live'' (Ifgam, 2000)
*''From the Heart and Soul'' (Rock House, 2001)
*''I Won't Give Up'' (Deep South, 2002)
*''I Did it All'' (CML, 2005)
*''Cookin' the Blues'' (Old School, 2006)
*''The Don of the Blues'' (CDS, 2008)
*''Hit & Run Blues'' (Benevolent Blues, 2009)
*''Mr. Blues – The Best Of... So Far'' (Benevolent Blues, 2010)
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Chick
1934 births
2013 deaths
American blues singers
Singers from Georgia (U.S. state)
People from Monroe County, Georgia
Dirty blues musicians