Larry Williams (born Lawrence Eugene Williams, a.k.a. Lawrence Edward Williams; May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams is best known for writing and recording some rock and roll classics from 1957 to 1959 for Specialty Records, including "

Bony Moronie "Bony Moronie" was the third single by Larry Williams, released in 1957. Original version Williams' original peaked at #14 on the Billboard Best Sellers in Stores chart and #4 on the U.S. R&B chart. Since then the song has been covered many ...

", " Short Fat Fannie", " Slow Down", " Dizzy, Miss Lizzy" (1958), " Bad Boy" and "

She Said Yeah She most commonly refers to: * She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English. She or S.H.E. may also refer to: Literature and films *'' She: A History of Adventure'', an 1887 novel by H. Rider Hagg ...

" (1959). John Lennon was a fan, and The Beatles and several other British Invasion groups recorded several of his songs. Williams' life mixed tremendous success with violence and drug addiction. He was a longtime friend of

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

, with whom his life intertwined personally and professionally from their meeting in 1955 to Williams' death in 1980.

Early life

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on May 10, 1935, Williams moved west with his family early in his childhood. He spent some time with relatives in Chicago, Illinois, before relocating to

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

, California in 1945. Growing up in New Orleans, Williams learned to play piano as a boy. As a teen he joined a local R&B band in Oakland, Calif., when his parents relocated there. In 1954 he returned to New Orleans and began to work as a chauffeur/valet for singer Lloyd Price, eventually becoming pianist for Price as well as R&B singers

Roy Brown Roy Brown may refer to: Arts, music and entertainment * Roy Brown (blues musician) (1920/25–1981), American blues musician who was a pioneer of rock and roll * Roy Brown (Puerto Rican musician) (born 1945), Puerto Rican musician and folk singer ...

and

Percy Mayfield Percy Mayfield (August 12, 1920August 11, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues singer with a smooth vocal style. He also was a songwriter, known for the songs " Please Send Me Someone to Love" and "Hit the Road Jack", the latter being a song ...

, who were all recording for Specialty Records. After establishing himself as a sideman, in 1957 Williams signed his own deal with Specialty, whose owners were hoping to help fill the gap that had just been left when their biggest star, Little Richard, left Rock and Roll for a (temporary) life in the ministry.

Career

Williams returned to New Orleans in 1954 and began working for his cousin, singer Lloyd Price, as a valet. He played in the bands of Price,

, and

. In 1955, Williams met and developed a friendship with

, who was recording at the time in New Orleans.White (2003), p. 77-78. Price and Little Richard were both recording for Specialty Records. He was introduced to Robert Blackwell, Specialty's house producer, and was signed to the label. In 1957, Little Richard was Specialty's biggest star, but he left rock and roll to pursue the ministry. Williams quickly was groomed by Blackwell to try to replicate his success. Using the same raw, shouting vocals and piano-driven intensity, Williams scored with a number of hit singles. Williams' three biggest successes were " Short Fat Fannie", which was his bestseller, reaching No. 5 in ''Billboard'''s pop chart, "

", which peaked at No. 14, and its flip "You Bug Me Baby" which made it to No. 45. "Short Fat Fannie" and "Bony Moronie" each sold over one million copies. After 1957, Williams did not have much success selling records. He recorded a number of songs in 1958 and 1959, including " Dizzy, Miss Lizzy," which charted at No. 69 on ''Billboard'''s Pop chart in 1958. "Heebie Jeebies" was recorded with band members such as Plas Johnson on tenor saxophone and Jewel Grant on baritone, René Hall and Howard Roberts on guitars, Gerald Wilson on trumpet, Ernie Freeman or Williams himself on piano, and Earl Palmer on drums. After he was arrested for possession of

narcotics The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "to make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...

and guns in 1959, he was dropped from Specialty. He recorded for Chess Records but no hits were produced. Williams then served a three-year jail term, setting back his career considerably. Williams made a comeback in the mid-1960s with a funky soul band that included

Johnny "Guitar" Watson John Watson Jr. (February 3, 1935 – May 17, 1996), known professionally as Johnny "Guitar" Watson, was an American musician and singer-songwriter. A flamboyant showman and electric guitarist in the style of T-Bone Walker, his recording career ...

, which paired him musically with Little Richard who had been lured back into secular music. He produced two of Little Richard's albums for

Okeh Records Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...

in 1966 and 1967, which returned Little Richard to the ''Billboard'' album chart for the first time in 10 years and spawned the hit single "Poor Dog". He also acted as the music director for Little Richard's live performances at the Okeh Club. Bookings for Little Richard during this period skyrocketed.White (2003), p. 268. Williams also recorded and released material of his own and with Watson, with some moderate chart success. "Too Late", the B-side of 1967 single "Two For The Price Of One" became one of the biggest songs on the Northern Soul scene in England, and remains prized due to its rarity as the single failed commercially. Williams also began acting in the 1960s, appearing on film in ''

Just for the Hell of It ''Just for the Hell of It'' is a 1968 exploitation film directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis. Plot The opening scene is set at a wild teenage party in a small apartment. The kids suddenly turn against everything around them and trash the apartment t ...

'' (1968), '' The Klansman'' (1974), and ''

Drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

'' (1976). In the 1970s, he briefly was involved with disco music.

Personal life and demise

Williams' lifestyle involved recreational drug use and abuse which resulted in trouble with the law. By the middle of the 1970s, the drug abuse and violence were taking their toll. In 1977, Williams threatened Little Richard over a drug debt with a gun. However, he ended up showing compassion for his longtime friend.White (2003), p. 186. This, with other factors, led to Little Richard's return to born again Christianity and the ministry. Williams was married to Ina Marie Williams, although they were eventually estranged. On January 7, 1980, Williams was found dead by his mother at his home in Los Angeles, California from a gunshot wound to the head. He was 44 years old. His death was deemed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

, though there was speculation that he was murdered because of his involvement in drugs and allegedly

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

. No suspects were arrested or charged. Williams was interred at

Inglewood Park Cemetery Inglewood Park Cemetery, 720 East Florence Avenue in Inglewood, California, was founded in 1905. A number of notable people, including entertainment and sports personalities, have been interred or entombed there. History The proposed est ...

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

Martin Albritton as Larry Williams

An Illinois drummer and blues singer named Martin Albritton claimed to be Larry Williams, alive and well. This claim originated at about the time Larry Williams was found dead. He recorded and performed as a drummer for Bobby "Blue" Bland in the 1960s. Albritton toured the country performing under the moniker of "Big" Larry Williams, and claimed that he recorded the hits "Bony Moronie" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy." He recorded an album in 1990 called ''Street Party'' with the Mellow Fellows, previously headed by Big Twist ''(né'' Lawrence Millard Nolan; 1937–1990). While touring with the Mellow Fellows in Chicago, Allbritton was confronted by singer

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

, who knew the real Williams. Williams' family asked Allbritton to cease billing himself as "Larry Williams". Allbritton died on August 24, 2017.

Legacy

Several of Williams' songs achieved success as revivals, by The Beatles (" Bad Boy", " Slow Down", and "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy"), The Rolling Stones ("

") and John Lennon ("Bony Moronie" and "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy"). Williams was posthumously inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2014.

Discography

Albums

*''Here's Larry Williams'' - 1959 (Specialty Records) *''Slow Down With Larry Williams (The Missing And Unissued Sides)'' - 1960 (Specialty Records) *''Larry Williams On Stage! Recorded Live'' - 1964 (Sue Records) *''The Larry Williams Show featuring Johnny "Guitar" Watson'' - 1965 (

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

, UK) *''Two For the Price of One'' (with Johnny "Guitar" Watson) - 1967 (Okeh Records) *''Larry Williams' Greatest Hits'' - 1967 (Okeh Records - re-recordings of Specialty hits) *''That Larry Williams: The Resurrection of Funk'' - 1978 ( Fantasy Records) *''Unreleased Larry Williams'' - 1986 (Specialty Records - never before released tracks)

Singles

References

External links

Biography at Concordmusic.com

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Larry 1935 births 1980 deaths American rhythm and blues singers American rock songwriters American rock singers Bell Records artists Chess Records artists Fantasy Records artists Okeh Records artists Smash Records artists Specialty Records artists Boise State University alumni Musicians from New Orleans Musicians from Oakland, California Northern soul musicians Rock and roll musicians Singer-songwriters from Louisiana Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery 1980 suicides Suicides by firearm in California African-American male songwriters 20th-century African-American male singers Singer-songwriters from California