Happy birthday to a great blues harp man Little Sonny (born Aaron Willis, October 6, 1932, Greensboro, Alabama) an American electric blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. His early mentor and inspiration was Sonny Boy Williamson II. Nevertheless, Little Sonny stated that his nickname originated with his mother. [She] called me Sonny boy from the time I can remember. He has released eight albums, including a trio on a subsidiary of Stax Records. His 1973 release, Hard Goin Up, reached the Top 50 in the US Billboard R&B chart. He was born in 1932 and raised solely by his mother. He relocated to Detroit in 1953. At first he had no real interest in music until, as he explained, But then I saw Sonny Boy Williamson II. Willis was spellbound at the way he played. After the show I went home and practiced for hours. Every day after that I would practice until I got the sound I wanted. His daytime job was working in a used car lot. His first professional appearance was at the Good Times Bar in Detroit, playing in Washboard Willies backing group. He put together his first band in March 1956. For the following fifteen years Little Sonny performed in numerous Detroit clubs, often boosting his earnings by photographing customers between his on-stage appearances.He ofttimes performed alongside John Lee Hooker, Eddie Kirkland and Baby Boy Warren. Another club stalwart Eddie Guitar Burns provided accompaniment to Little Sonny on his debut single, I Gotta Find My Baby (1958), which was released by Duke Records. It was co-written with Little Sonnys wife, Maggie. His follow-up release, Love Shock appeared on Excello label. He received $25 for the latter track, before setting up his own label (Speedway Records) and selling sufficient copies of his next effort, The Mix Up, to write off his production costs. Home recording his own tracks, in 1966 he leased The Creeper and Latin Soul to Revilot Records. A later track, Sonnys Bag, became his first Top 20 hit in Detroit. By late 1969, Little Sonny finally recorded his debut album, the predominately instrumental, New King of Blues Harmonica, which he cut in less than six hours. It was released on Enterprise, a subsidiary of Stax Records. Despite their reputation for soul music productions, Little Sonny released three albums with them in the early 1970s. He also briefly appeared in their concert film, Wattstax. Black & Blue (1972) and 1973s Hard Goin Up followed, with Little Sonny using an Old Standby 34B harmonica. A lean period ensued before the British label Sequel Records issued Sonny Side Up in 1995. His accompanists included keyboard player Rudy Robinson, and Little Sonnys guitarist son Aaron Willis, Jr., who had both played on Hard Goin Up over twenty years previously. Little Sonny appeared at Black Hills State University on June 24, 2000. His photograph collection, housed in the basement of his Detroit home, includes shots of John Lee Hooker, Eddie Guitar Burns, Eddie Kirkland, Joe Hunter, Eddie Willis, Bobby Bland, Washboard Willie, and Sonny Boy Williamson II. Little Sonny performed on October 4, 2008, at the Motor City Blues & Boogie Woogie Festival, in Detroit, with Eddie Guitar Burns, Otis Clay and Bobby Rush. He is not to be confused with Little Sonny Warner, Little Sonny Jones, or Little Sonny Parker.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 04:51:12 +0000
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