Willie Egan dies

[brownie]

From AP:

 

Blues singer-pianist Robert "Willie" Egan dead at 70

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - (AP)- Blues great Robert "Willie" Egan, who rose to fame in the mid-1950s, fell into obscurity in the '60s and saw his career reborn 20 years later when European audiences discovered his music, has died of cancer. He was 70.

The singer and pianist, who also recorded under the name Johnny as part of the popular duo Marvin & Johnny, died Thursday at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital, said his son, Willie Egan Jr.

Born Oct. 1, 1933, in a bayou shack near the northwest Louisiana town of Minden, Egan moved to East Los Angeles with his grandmother at age 9. One of his uncles had a piano on the front porch, and as Egan later told the Los Angeles Times, "I started messing around on it."

In 1949, he made a couple of recordings for the small Elko label. But he hit his stride in the mid-1950s, recording for Larry Mead's Mambo and Vita labels.

He recorded the successful singles "Wow Wow," "What a Shame," "Come On," "She's Gone Away, But" and "Wear Your Black Dress."

His last solo single was "Rock and Roll Fever" in 1958. Later he teamed with Marvin Phillips under the Marvin & Johnny name, but eventually abandoned music as bookings dried up.

He was an unemployed hospital orderly in 1983 when a promoter tracked him down at his home in South Los Angeles to tell him he had a hit album in Europe.

"What album? I haven't recorded anything in 25 years!" Egan recalled telling him.

He went on to perform in London's Electric Ballroom with saxophonist Big Jay McNeely and others and recorded a well-regarded studio album called "Going Back to Louisiana" for London-based Ace Records, which had sponsored his visit.

Twice widowed, Egan is survived by his son and three grandchildren.

[paul secor]

Sorry to read this.

Willie Egan was a very good r&b vocalist/pianist who (like many others) never received the attention that he deserved. I'll be listening to the Relic collection of his recordings tomorrow.

Rest in peace, Mr. Egan.

Edited August 14, 2004 by paul secor