Artist:Chuck Willis
Song: C.C. Rider
Album:Complete Singles As & Bs 1951-59
The 1957 single C.C. Rider was one of two R&B chart toppers for singer songwriter and pianist Chuck Willis. He's mostly forgotten today because he died in 1958. He was born Harold Willis Jan. 31, 1926 in Atlanta. Chuck Willis was a stage name. He got his musical training at YMCA sponsored Teenage Canteens and played with a couple of local bands. Atlanta DJ Zenas "Daddy" Sears became Willis' manager and got him a record deal with Columbia's race label Okeh. He scored a top five R&B hit with the 1952 single My Story. He scored four other top ten R&B hits. Despite this success, Willis left Okeh for Atlantic because He wanted to cross over to pop and Atlantic had shown a willingness to promote black artists to white audiences. Willis got the results he wanted when the 1957 single C.C. Rider topped the R&B chart and reached #12 on the pop chart. For the most part, Willis wrote all his own songs. Much to producer Jerry Wexler's surprise, Willis decided to record the traditional song C.C. Rider which was popularized by Ma Rainey. After Dick Clark played C.C. Rider on American Bandstand, it was discovered to be a great song for kids to do the popular dance The Stroll. Willis appeared on the show and demonstrated the dance. Willis was dubbed King of the Stroll. Then Screamin' Jay Hawkins told Willis he should start wearing a turban. This got him his own Saturday night TV show on Atlanta TV. Then Willis died on Apr. 10, 1958 at age 32 while having surgery for stomach ulcers. Upon his death, What Am I Living For topped the R&B charts. You can get all of Willis' singles on this 2CD comp from the British label Acrobat. Some of Willis' songs are still recorded. But for the most part, he is forgotten. Here's a video of C.C. Rider by Chuck Willis.
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