"It's Too Late" is a song written by and performed by
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 '' ...
. It reached No. 3 on the U.S. R&B chart in 1956. The song was featured on his 1958 album, ''King of the Stroll''.
Other charting versions
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Johnny O'Keefe
John Michael O'Keefe (19 January 1935 – 6 October 1978) was an Australian rock and roll singer whose career began in the early 1950s. A pioneer of Rock music in Australia, his hits include " Wild One" (1958), " Shout!" and "She's My Baby". O ...
released a version of the song as a single in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
in 1960 which reached No. 17.
* Ted Taylor released a version of the song which reached No. 30 on the U.S. R&B chart and No. 118 on the U.S. pop chart in 1969.
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
to her 1957 single "Rock Me My Baby".
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The Crickets
The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Top ...
released a version of the song on their 1957 album ''
The "Chirping" Crickets
''The "Chirping" Crickets'' is the only studio album from the American rock and roll band the Crickets, led by Buddy Holly. It was the group's only album released during Holly's lifetime. In 2012, it was ranked number 420 on ''Rolling Stone'' ...
''.
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Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...
released a version of the song on his 1961 album ''At the Rock House''.
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Les Paul and Mary Ford
Les Paul and Mary Ford were a popular 1950s husband-and-wife musical duo who performed and recorded during 1950–1963. They both sang and played guitar.
Ford and Paul were music superstars during the first half of the 1950s, putting out 28 hits ...
released a version of the song as the B-side to their 1961 single "Mountain Railroad".
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Charlie Rich
Charles Allan Rich (December 14, 1932July 25, 1995) was an American country singer. His eclectic style of music also blended influences from rockabilly, jazz, blues, soul, and gospel.
In the later part of his life, Rich acquired the nickname t ...
released a version of the song as the B-side to his 1961 single "Just a Little Bit Sweet".
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Ruth Brown
Ruth Alston Brown (; January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of R&B". She was noted for bringing a popular music, pop music ...
released a version of the song on her 1962 album ''Along Came Ruth''.
* Jerry Keller released a version of the song as the B-side to his 1963 single "What Will I Tell My Darling?"
* Sunny and the Sunliners released a version of the song as a single in 1964, but it did not chart.
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Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
Freddie King
Freddie King (born Fred Christian; September 3, 1934December 28, 1976), also billed as Freddy King, was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King a ...
released a version of the song on his 1969 album ''Freddie King Is a Blues Master''.
* Derek and the Dominos released a version of the song on their 1970 album ''
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs'' is the only studio album by the English–American rock band Derek and the Dominos, released on 9 November 1970 as a double album by Polydor Records and Atco Records. It is best known for its title track ...
''. The band also performed the song on ''
The Johnny Cash Show
''The Johnny Cash Show'' is an American television music variety show that was hosted by Johnny Cash. The Screen Gems 58-episode series ran from June 7, 1969, to March 31, 1971, on American Broadcasting Company, ABC; it was taped at the Ryman A ...
'' which was the band's only television appearance.
* John Hammond released a version of the song on his 1970 album ''Southern Fried''.
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Conway Twitty
Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...
released a version of the song on his 1976 album ''20 Greatest Hits by Conway Twitty''.
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Freddy Fender
Freddy Fender (born Baldemar Garza Huerta; June 4, 1937 – October 14, 2006) was an American Country and Tejano singer, known for his work as a solo artist and in the groups Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados. His signature sound fused cou ...
Merl Saunders
Merl Saunders (February 14, 1934 – October 24, 2008) was an American multi-genre musician who played piano and keyboards, favoring the Hammond B-3 console organ.
Biography
Born in San Mateo, California, United States, Saunders attended Poly ...
,
Jerry Garcia
Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence during the counterculture of the 196 ...
The Jordanaires
The Jordanaires were an American vocal quartet that formed as a gospel group in 1948. Over the years, they recorded both sacred and secular music for recording companies such as Capitol Records, RCA Victor, Columbia Records, Decca Records, Vo ...
released a version of the song on their 1996 album ''The History of Rock'n'Roll''.
Samplings
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Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
sampled Redding's version in the song " Gone" on his 2005 album ''
Late Registration
''Late Registration'' is the second studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on August 30, 2005, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. West recorded the album over the course of a year during sessions held a ...