Willie John: A Soul Who Died In Jail

THE DEATH of Little Willie John is chronicled in the June 8th 1968 edition of Billboard. Datelined Walla Walla, Washington, May 27th, the notice reads: "Willie John, co-writer of "Fever' popularised by Peggy Lee, died Sunday (26) at the Washington State Penitentiary, where he had been imprisoned since 1966 on a manslaughter charge. He was 30 years old. John, better known in the recording industry as Little Willie John, is survived by his widow and two sons in Detroit."