Little Sonny

Not to be confused with Little Sonny Warner or Little Sonny Jones.
Little Sonny
Birth name Aaron Willis
Born (1932-10-06) October 6, 1932
Greensboro, Alabama, United States
Genres Electric blues[1]
Occupation(s) Musician, harmonicist, singer, songwriter, photographer
Instruments Harmonica, vocals
Years active 1952–present
Labels Stax, Sequel, P-Vine

Little Sonny (born Aaron Willis, October 6, 1932, Greensboro, Alabama) is an American electric blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter.[1] 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."[2] He has released eight albums, including a trio on a subsidiary of Stax Records.[1] His 1973 release, Hard Goin' Up, reached the Top 50 in the US Billboard R&B chart.

Biography

He was born in 1932 and raised solely by his mother.[3] He relocated to Detroit in 1953.[1][3] 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.[3]

His first professional appearance was at the Good Times Bar in Detroit, playing in Washboard Willie's backing group. He put together his first band in March 1956.[4] For the following fifteen years Little Sonny performed in numerous Detroit clubs, often boosting his earnings by photographing customers between his on-stage appearances.[3] He ofttimes performed alongside John Lee Hooker, Eddie Kirkland and Baby Boy Warren.[1] 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 Sonny's wife, Maggie.[2] His follow-up release, "Love Shock" appeared on Excello label.[1] 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.[3]

Home recording his own tracks, in 1966 he leased "The Creeper" and "Latin Soul" to Revilot Records.[1] A later track, "Sonny's Bag," became his first Top 20 hit in Detroit. By late 1969, Little Sonny finally recorded his debut album, the predominantly instrumental, New King of Blues Harmonica, which he cut in less than six hours.[3] It was released on Enterprise, a subsidiary of Stax Records.[4] 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.[1]

Black & Blue (1972) and 1973's Hard Goin' Up followed, with Little Sonny using an Old Standby 34B harmonica.[3] 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 Sonny's guitarist son Aaron Willis, Jr., who had both played on Hard Goin' Up over twenty years previously.[1]

Little Sonny appeared at Black Hills State University on June 24, 2000.[5]

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.[2]

He is not to be confused with Little Sonny Warner, Little Sonny Jones, or Little Sonny Parker.

Discography

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Bill Dahl (October 6, 1932). "Little Sonny | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
  2. 1 2 3 Holdship, Bill. "Captured for life: A Detroit narrative in photos by a true Motor City original". Metro Times. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Little Sonny". Concord Music Group. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
  4. 1 2 "Little Sonny's Biography – Free listening, concerts, stats, & pictures at". Last.fm. November 26, 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
  5. ↑ "Campus Currents". Bhsu.edu. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
  6. ↑ Bill Dahl (October 6, 1932). "Little Sonny | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
  7. ↑ "Little Sonny | Discography". AllMusic. October 6, 1932. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
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