Aaron Willis
b. October 6th, 1932 in Greensboro (Alabama)
45'S & ODD TRACKS
Blue Eye blog (only on mp3)
April 1958 - 1959 / 1966 - 1972
Elevé par sa mère Elmira, il apprend l'harmonica après avoir vu "Sonny Boy" Williamson sur scène. Devenu un musicien confirmé dans Detroit et sa région, il grave ses premiers morceaux en 1958-59 avec le guitariste Eddie Burns pour les labels Duke et Excello ("Hear my woman calling", "Love shock"). En 1961, Sonny semble avoir enregistré pour Chess mais les titres n'ont jamais vu la lumière du jour. Plus tard, Little Sonny tente l'aventure de l'autoproduction et fonde son propre label Speedway en 1966. Pour celui-ci, il enregistre l'instrumental "The mix up" et le slow blues "Inside my heart". Dans les années suivantes, il continue à enregistrer en indépendant mais revend ses titres au label Revilot ("The creeper", "Don't ask me no questions"). Après avoir été découvert par le producteur Al Bell, il grave de superbes titres pour le label Enterprise : "Wade in the water", "Blues with a feeling", "Going down slow". Ces titres ont été rassemblés par Gérard Herzhaft dans son blog Blue Eye.
Raised by his mother Elmira, he learned to play the harmonica after seeing "Sonny Boy" Williamson perform on stage. Becoming an accomplished musician in Detroit and the surrounding area, he recorded his first tracks in 1958-59 with guitarist Eddie Burns for the Duke and Excello labels ("Hear my woman calling", "Love shock"). In 1961, Sonny appears to have recorded for Chess but the tracks were never released. Later, Little Sonny ventured into self-production and founded his own label Speedway in 1966. For this label, he recorded the instrumental "The mix up" and the slow blues "Inside my heart". In the following years, he continued to record independently but sold his tracks to the Revilot label ("The creeper", "Don't ask me no questions"). After being discovered by producer Al Bell, he recorded some superb tracks for the Enterprise label : "Wade in the water", "Blues with a feeling", "Going down slow". These tracks have been compiled by Gérard Herzhaft on his Blue Eye blog.
LIVE '65 & RARE TRACKS
P-Vine
1965
Ces bandes live semblent avoir capturées sur la scène du Apex Bar selon Little Sonny lui-même. A ses côtés, il pourrait y avoir le guitariste Eddie Burns. La qualité sonore est plutôt correcte et la musique vraiment intéressante. Ce sont les japonais de P-Vine qui éditèrent ces bandes en CD y ajoutant aussi quelques titres studios de la fin des années 60.
These live recordings appear to have been captured on stage at the Apex Bar according to Little Sonny himself. Guitarist Eddie Burns may also be present. The sound quality is quite good and the music is truly interesting. The japanese label P-Vine released these recordings on CD also including some studio tracks from the late 1960's.
NEW KING OF THE BLUES HARMONICA
Enterprise
Stax
1969
Remarqué par le producteur Al Bell, il trouve l'opportunité de graver un premier album studio pour le label Enterprise (appartenant à Stax). Enregistré en 6 heures et presque entièrement instrumental, Little Sonny y déploie un superbe jeu d'harmonica plein de feeling dans un style entre Blues et Funk. On retient les slow-blues "Don't ask me no questions", "Sad funk", "The creeper returns", l'ébouriffant "Eli's pork chop" mais aussi sa superbe reprise de "Baby what you want me to do" de Jimmy Reed. Sur la version CD, on trouve un titre supplémentaire : l'excellent "Going down slow" enregistré en 1972.
Discovered by producer Al Bell, he found the opportunity to record his first studio album for the Enterprise label (owned by Stax). Recorded in 6 hours and almost entirely instrumental, Little Sonny showcases superb, full of feeling harmonica playing in a style somewhere between Blues and Funk. Highlights include the slow blues tracks "Don't ask me no questions", "Sad funk", "The creeper returns", the exhilarating "Eli's pork chop" and his superb cover of Jimmy Reed's "Baby what you want me to do". The CD version includes one additional track : the excellent "Going down slow" recorded in 1972.
BLACK & BLUE
Enterprise
Stax
BLUES STORY ANTHOLOGY vol.4
Polydor
December 1970 / September 1971
Dans ce second album pour le label Enterprise, le son est orienté Soul-Blues grâce à l'apport des Bar-Kays (en particulier Eddie Wallis, Tommy Williams). Sonny se montre toujours impérial à l'harmonica et chante parfaitement. On peut retenir, en particulier, "Hung up", "Sonny's fever", "You got a good thing", la version instrumentale de "Wade in the water", "Paying through the nose".
In this second album for the Enterprise label, the sound leans towards Soul-Blues thanks to the contributions of the Bar-Kays (particularly Eddie Wallis and Tommy Williams). Sonny is still masterful on the harmonica and sings beautifully. Highlights include "Hung up", "Sonny's fever", "You got a good thing", the instrumental version of "Wade in the water", "Paying through the nose".
HARD GOIN' UP
Enterprise
Stax
Early 1972
Troisième et dernier album pour Enterprise, il propose une nouvelle fois un cocktail puissant Soul-Blues. Bien entouré par d'excellents musiciens et une section cuivres overdubbée, Little Sonny délivre de solides morceaux comme "It's hard goin' up", "My woman is good to me", "You can be replaced", "You made me strong".
For this third and final album for Enterprise, it once again offers a powerful Soul-Blues cocktail. Backed by excellent musicians and an overdubbed horn section, Little Sonny delivers solid tracks like "It's hard goin' up", "My woman is good to me", "You can be replaced", "You made me strong".
SOUL'D OUT : THE COMPLETE WATTSTAX COLLECTION
Craft
August 1972
En tant qu'artiste travaillant pour Enterprise (appartenant à Stax), Little Sonny figure naturellement à l'affiche du célèbre concert Wattstax. Pourtant, il faut attendre l'édition complète du concert en 2022 pour voir apparaitre la version du "Wade in the water" de Little Sonny jouée ce jour là.
As an artist working for Enterprise (owned by Stax), Little Sonny naturally appeared on the bill for the famous Wattstax concert. However, it wasn't until the full 2022 edition of the concert that Little Sonny's version of "Wade in the water", performed that day, was included.
BLUES WITH A FEELING
Sequel
September 1972
Ce CD reprend la performance de Little Sonny sur la scène du Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival organisé par John Sinclair. Un bon concert entre Blues, Soul et Funk qui démontre son dynamisme sur scène. Le CD Sequel ajoute au concert trois titres de l'époque Revilot et une interview de 1994.
This CD features Little Sonny's performance at the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival organized by John Sinclair. A nice concert blending Blues, Soul and Funk, showcases his dynamic stage presence. The Sequel CD adds three tracks from the Revilot era and a 1994 interview to the concert tracklist.
SONNY SIDE UP
Glynn
P-Vine
Sequel
1991
Grâce au Blues Revival de la fin des années 80, Little Sonny trouve l'opportunité de graver un nouvel album studio après 20 ans d'absence. Accompagné de ses deux enfants (Aaron Jr et Anthony), il montre qu'il n'a rien perdu de ses qualités d'harmoniciste et de chanteur. Un bon programme de Blues contemporain avec d'excellents moments comme "I got to find my baby", "Let me love you", l'instrumental "Ready set go", "I'm with you all the way", "Tough times never last".
Thanks to the Blues Revival of the late 80's, Little Sonny found the opportunity to record a new studio album after a 20-year hiatus. Accompanied by his two sons (Aaron Jr. and Anthony), he demonstrates that he has lost none of his skill as a harmonica player and singer. A solid program of contemporary blues with excellent tracks such as "I got to find my baby", "Let me love you", the instrumental "Ready set go", "I'm with you all the way", "Tough times never last".
BLASTIN' THE BLUES
P-Vine
December 1994 / September 1995
Ce CD japonais reprend deux concerts : le premier à Tokyo, l'autre sur la scène du festival d'Ann Arbor. Dans ceux-ci, Sonny semble toujours en pleine forme que ce soit au chant ou à l'harmonica et délivre des performances convaincantes.
This japanese CD features two concerts : the first in Tokyo, the second at the Ann Arbor festival. In both, Sonny seems to be in top form, both vocally and on harmonica, delivering compelling performances.
THE BEST LOVE I'VE EVER HAD
P-Vine
1995
Voici un nouvel album entre Blues et Soul de Little Sonny paru sur le label japonais P-Vine. "The end of your rope", "I'll never trust you again", "The ghetto", "Watching the people" figurent parmi les meilleurs moments de ce programme consistant.
Here's a new album from Little Sonny, a blend of blues and soul, released on the japanese label P-Vine. "The end of your rope", "I'll never trust you again", "The ghetto", "Watching the people" are among the highlights of this solid collection.