Chuck Willis 261750 222842713 2008-07-01T11:25:04Z Cydebot 1215485 Robot - Moving category Deaths of peritonitis to Deaths from peritonitis per [[WP:CFD|CFD]] at [[Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2008 June 21]]. <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Chuck Willis.jpg|right|thumb|Picture of Chuck Willis on record cover]] --> '''Harold (Chuck) Willis''' ([[January 31]], [[1928]] &ndash; [[April 10]], [[1958]]) was an [[United States|American]] [[blues]], [[rhythm and blues]], and [[rock music|rock]] [[singer]] and [[songwriter]]; he was born in [[Atlanta, Georgia]]. In [[1951]], Willis signed with [[Columbia Records]]. After one single, he began recording on a Columbia subsidiary, [[Okeh]]. During his stay at Okeh, he established himself as a popular [[R&B]] singer and songwriter. In [[1956]], he moved to [[Atlantic Records]] where he had immediate success with "[[It's Too Late]]", "[[Juanita]]", and "Love Me Cherry". His most successful recording was "[[C.C. Rider]]", which topped the rhythm and blues chart in [[1957]] and also crossed over and sold well in the [[pop music|pop]] market. "C.C. Rider" was a remake of a classic [[twelve-bar blues]]. Its relaxed beat, combined with a mellow [[vibraphone]] backing and chorus, inspired the emergence of the popular dance, [[The Stroll]]. Willis's follow-up to "C. C. Rider" was "Betty and Dupree", another "stroll" song, which did very well. Willis, who had suffered from [[stomach ulcers]] for many years, died suddenly of [[peritonitis]] while at the peak of his career, just after the release of his last single, "What Am I Living For?", backed by "Hang Up My Rock & Roll Shoes". His hit, the [[blues ballad]] "It's Too Late (She's Gone)" was covered by many, including [[Otis Redding]], [[Roy Orbison]], [[Buddy Holly and the Crickets]], [[Eric Clapton]]'s [[Derek and the Dominos]] and the [[Jerry Garcia Band]]. In 2005, it was heavily sampled by [[Kanye West]] on [[Late Registration|Late Registration's]] "Gone". [[Elvis Presley]] covered "I Feel So Bad" and "C. C. Rider" and [[Ruth Brown]] and [[Conway Twitty]] had hits with "Oh What a Dream". {{US-RnB-singer-stub}} {{US-songwriter-stub}} [[Category:1928 births|Willis, Chuck]] [[Category:1958 deaths|Willis, Chuck]] [[Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia|Willis, Chuck]] [[Category:American rhythm and blues singers|Willis, Chuck]] [[Category:Deaths from peritonitis|Willis, Chuck]] [[fr:Chuck Willis]]