Little Willie John’s very brief cameo appearance playing the claves on the TV show Route 66 in 1962 certainly belies the breadth of his career. The man had a lengthy string of R&B hits, most of which he co-authored, like the original version of “Need Your Love So Bad,” while another such release, 1956’s “Fever,” sold over one million copies (from which came a famous cover version recorded by Peggy Lee). Little Willie also appeared on American Bandstand many times–none of which footage has yet to surface–so this self-effacing yet earnest video depiction of the 1996 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, minimal as it may be, is the only known such content of John to exist. To his credit, the Arkansas native appears totally immersed in his role as percussionist in this clip, altogether confident of his other achievements, which also happen to include the Beatles’ 1964 cover of his “Leave My Kitten Alone” for their Beatles for Sale album (it was not released until 1995).
