Larry Williams

Career

Williams learned how to play piano at a young age. The family moved to Oakland, California when he was a teen, and there he joined the Lemon Drops, a R&B group. Williams returned to New Orleans in 1954 and began working for his cousin, singer Lloyd Price, as a valet and played in the bands of Price, Roy Brown, and Percy Mayfield. In 1955, Williams met and developed a friendship with Little Richard, who was recording at the time in New Orleans. Price and Penniman were both recording for Specialty Records. Williams was introduced to Specialty's house producer, Robert Blackwell, and was signed to record.

In 1957, Little Richard was Specialty's biggest star, but bolted from rock and roll to pursue the ministry. Williams was quickly 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 best seller, reaching #5 in Billboard's pop chart, "Bony Moronie", which peaked at #14, and its flip "You Bug Me Baby" which made it to #45. "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy" charted at #69 on Billboard the following year. Both "Short Fat Fannie" and "Bony Moronie" sold over one million copies, gaining gold discs.

Several of his songs achieved later success as revivals, by The Beatles ("Bad Boy", "Slow Down", and "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy"), The Rolling Stones ("She Said Yeah") and John Lennon ("Bony Moronie" and "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy").

After 1957 Williams did not have much success selling records. He recorded a number of songs in 1958 and 1959, including "Heebie Jeebies", 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. He was convicted of dealing narcotics in 1960 and 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, which paired him musically with Little Richard who had been lured back into secular music. He produced two Little Richard albums for Okeh Records in 1966 and 1967, which returned Little Richard to the Billboard album chart for the first time in ten years and spawned the hit single "Poor Dog". He also acted as the music director for the Little Richard's live performances at the Okeh Club. Bookings for Little Richard during this period skyrocketed. Williams also recorded and released material of his own and with Watson, with some moderate chart success. This period may have garnered few hits but produced some of his best and most original work.

Williams also began acting in the 1960s, appearing on film in Just for the Hell of It (1968), The Klansman (1974), and Drum (1976).

In the 1970s, there was also a brief dalliance with disco, but Williams' wild lifestyle continued. By the middle of the decade, the drug abuse and violence were taking their toll. In 1977, Williams pulled a gun on and threatened to kill his long-time friend, Little Richard, over a drug debt. They were both living in Los Angeles and addicted to cocaine and heroin. Little Richard had bought drugs from Williams, arranged to pay him later, but did not show up because he was high. Williams was furious. He hunted him down but ended up showing compassion for his long-time friend after Little Richard repaid the debt. This, along with other factors, led to Little Richard's return to born again Christianity and the ministry, but Williams did not escape LA's seedy underworld.

Williams was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame, in a ceremony held on February 9, 2014. That date was the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show; The Beatles recorded three of Williams' songs: "Bad Boy," "Slow Down," and "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy."

Death

Williams died in his Los Angeles, California home of a gunshot wound to the head on January 7, 1980. He was 44 years old. The death was deemed suicide, though there was much speculation otherwise. No suspects were ever arrested or charged.

Martin Allbritton as Larry Williams

An Illinois drummer and blues singer by the name of Martin Allbritton has 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 has toured the country performing under the moniker of "Big" Larry Williams, and claims that he recorded the hits "Bony Moronie" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy." He recorded an album in 1990 called Street Party with the Mellow Fellows band, previously headed by Big Twist. While touring with the Mellow Fellows in Chicago, Allbritton was confronted by Etta James, who knew the real Williams.

Williams' family asked Allbritton to cease billing himself as "Larry Williams. Allbritton now performs as "Big Larry Williams."

Albums