Little Willie Littlefield

Vocation

American R&B and boogie-woogie pianist and singer whose early recordings "formed a vital link between boogie-woogie and rock and roll.” Littlefield was regarded as a teenage wonder and overnight sensation when in 1949 at the age of 18 he popularised the triplet piano style on his debut single "It's Midnight.” “It's Midnight" became a national hit reaching #3 on the Billboard R&B chart. Its follow-up, "Farewell", reached #5. In 1951, his duet with Little Lora Wiggins, "I've Been Lost," reached #10 on the R&B chart. Littlefield’s subsequent releases were not successful, although he remained a popular club act in the San Francisco area. In the late 1970s he toured Europe successfully, settling in the Netherlands and releasing a number of albums from 1982 into the late 1990s. After more than 50 years on the road, Littlefield stopped touring in 2000. After five years of retirement in his adopted home country The Netherlands, he decided to play again starting in 2006. Up until 2010, he continued to perform occasionally, mainly at festivals. He died at his home in Voorthuizen, the Netherlands, on 23 June 2013 at the age of 81. He had cancer. Link to Wikipedia biography