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Little Willie John was an American R&B singer born on November 15, 1937, in Cullendale, Arkansas. He had a successful but brief career, producing several hits, including "Fever" in 1956 and "Take My Love (I Want To Give It All To You)" in 1961. Throughout his career, he was signed to the same label and frequently headlined at New York City's Apollo Theater. His life took a tragic turn when he went to prison for stabbing a man at his engagement party in Seattle. He died on May 26, 1968, in Walla Walla, Washington, while incarcerated, with pneumonia listed as the cause of death, though reports state it was a heart attack. James Brown helped secure Willie's parole two years before his death, but he was later returned to prison for violating parole by crossing state lines to Los Angeles. In tribute, James Brown recorded an album titled "Thinking Of Little Willie John... And A Few Other Nice Things." Little Willie John was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

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