Best of the Best

Little Willie John was an awesome talent, possessing a voice that conveyed pain and hurt at an emotional pitch seldom encountered in pop music. A huge influence on many singers, including Sam Cooke and James Brown, John's impassioned, gospel-tinged vocals paved the way for the concept of soul. The only problem with this collection is its sheer brevity. Too short and missing too many key tracks to be a true "best-of," it does contain his best-known track, "Fever," which he co-wrote, and his first and last hits, "All Around the World" and "Sleep." A diminutive man with a volatile temper and a drinking problem, John stabbed a man and was sent to prison in 1966, where he died two years later at the age of 31, robbing the world of its first true soul singer.