The Loss of Larry Williams

Larry Williams (1935-1980) would have been 90 years old today if things had played out differently.

A cousin and former employee of Lloyd Price, Williams is best remembered as both a rival and collaborator of Little Richard’s. Their songs are very similar. The Beatles covered many of them (almost always with John Lennon doing the vocals) and one is apt to misremember some of these as Little Richard covers, at least I do from time to time. Williams was from New Orleans, and met Richard during his time recording there around 1955. When Richard was born again in 1957, Williams stepped into the breach. His well known songs include “Short Fat Fannie” (#5, 1957, later covered by Little Richard), “Bony Maronie” (#14, 1957), “Slow Down” (1957, covered by the Beatles), “Dizzy Miss Lizzie” (1958, covered by the Beatles), “Heebie Jeebies” (1958, covered by Little Richard), “Bad Boy” (1958, covered by the Beatles), “She Said Yeah” (1958, covered by the Rolling Stones and The Animals).

In 1965, Williams turned the tables by releasing a single called “It’s Beatle Time, Part One”. Over the next couple of years he and Little Richard enjoyed a comeback of sorts, releasing records for the soul market. This led to some movie roles for Williams in things like Herschell Gordon Lewis’s Just for the Hell of It (1968), Terence Young’s The Klansman (1974), and Drum (1976).

In the ’70s Williams explored disco and funk directions in his music. But drugs and a violent lifestyle got the best of him. In 1980 he was discovered deceased in his home, a self-inflicted gunshot to the head the cause. His music didn’t die of course. And according to at least one man, neither did Larry Williams. A singer from Illinois named Martin Albritton toured for years billing himself as the real Williams. Ya never know! Maybe it was some of that New Orleans voodoo.