Harold "Chuck" Willis (January 31, 1926 – April 10, 1958) and rock and roll singer and songwriter. His biggest hits, "C. C. Rider" (1957) and "What Am I Living For" (1958), both reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart. He was known as 'The King of the Stroll' for his performance of the 1950s dance, the Stroll.
Life and career
Willis was born in Atlanta, Georgia,
His most successful recording was "C.C. Rider", which topped the US Billboard R&B chart in 1957 and also crossed over and sold well in the pop market. Jerry Wexler said it was Willis's surprising idea to "do an old standard" instead of one of his own songs. Willis's follow-up was "Betty and Dupree", another "stroll" song and a similar "old standard", which also did well. Wexler said that Dick Clark used "Betty and Dupree" on American Bandstand to accompany "The Stroll," and that is how Willis became known as "King of The Stroll."
Songwriting
Willis approached songwriting with painstaking craftsmanship and the result was literate, soulful and melancholy. "What Am I Living For" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. It was also the top R&B disc of 1958.
When Willis died, he owed a lot of money to the US government, because, according to Zenas Sears, "he paid the band out of his own pocket without ever deducting taxes. ... When he died, his wife had the house, she had the fur coats and the Cadillac, but there was no money."
Willis's cousin was Chick Willis.
Discography
Singles
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Single (A-side, B-side)<br /><small>Both tracks from same album except where indicated</small>
! rowspan="2"| Label
! colspan="2"| Chart Positions
! rowspan="2"| Album
|- style="font-size:small;"
! width="40"| US Pop
! width="40"| US<br />R&B
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1951
| align="left"|"It Ain't Right to Treat Me Wrong"<br /><small>b/w "Can't You See" (Non-album track)</small>
| align="left"|Columbia 30238
| –
| –
| align="left"|My Story
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1952
| align="left"|"Here I Come"<br /><small>b/w "Loud Mouth Lucy"</small>
| align="left"|OKeh 6873
| –
| –
| align="left"|Non-album tracks
|-
| align="left"|"My Story"<br /><small>b/w "Caldonia"</small>
| align="left"|OKeh 6905
| –
| 2
| align="left"|Chuck Willis Wails the Blues
|-
| align="left"|"Wrong Lake to Catch a Fish"<br /><small>b/w "Salty Tears" (from My Story)</small>
| align="left"|OKeh 6930
| –
| –
| align="left"|Non-album track
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1953
| align="left"|"Going to the River"<br /><small>b/w "Baby Have Left Me Again" (Non-album track)</small>
| align="left"|OKeh 6952
| –
| 4
| align="left"|My Story
|-
| align="left"|"Don't Deceive Me"<br /><small>b/w "I've Been Treated Wrong Too Long" (Non-album track)</small>
| align="left"|OKeh 6985
| –
| 6
| align="left" rowspan="3"|Chuck Willis Wails the Blues
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1954
| align="left"|"You're Still My Baby"<br /><small>b/w "What's Your Name" (Non-album track)</small>
| align="left"|OKeh 7015
| –
| 4
|-
| align="left"|"I Feel So Bad"<br /><small>b/w "Need One More Chance"</small>
| align="left"|OKeh 7029
| –
| 8
|-
| align="left"|"Change My Mind"<br /><small>b/w "My Heart's Been Broke Again"</small>
| align="left"|OKeh 7041
| –
| –
| align="left"|My Story
|-
| align="left"|"Give and Take"<br /><small>b/w "I've Been Away Too Long"</small>
| align="left"|OKeh 7048
| –
| –
| align="left"|Non-album tracks
|-
| rowspan="3"|1955
| align="left"|"Lawdy Miss Mary"<br /><small>b/w "Love Struck"</small>
| align="left"|OKeh 7051
| –
| –
| align="left" rowspan="3"|Chuck Willis Wails the Blues
|-
| align="left"|"I Can Tell"<br /><small>b/w "One More Break"</small>
| align="left"|OKeh 7055
| –
| –
|-
| align="left"|"Search My Heart"<br /><small>b/w "Ring-Ding-Doo" (Non-album track)</small>
| align="left"|OKeh 7062
| –
| –
|-
| rowspan="5"| 1956
| align="left"|"It's Too Late"<br /><small>b/w "Kansas City Woman"</small>
| align="left"|Atlantic 1098
| –
| 3
| align="left" rowspan="3"|King of the Stroll
|-
| align="left"|"Juanita" /
| align="left" rowspan="2"|Atlantic 1112
| –
| 7
|-
| align="left"|"Whatcha' Gonna Do When Your Baby Leaves You"
| –
| 11
|-
| align="left"|"Come on Home"<br /><small>b/w "It Were You"</small>
| align="left"|OKeh 7067
| –
| –
| align="left"|Non-album tracks
|-
| align="left"|"Charged with Cheating"<br /><small>b/w "Two Spoons of Tears" (from My Story)</small>
| align="left"|OKeh 7070
| –
| –
| align="left"|Chuck Willis Wails the Blues
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1957
| align="left"|"C. C. Rider"<br /><small>b/w "Ease the Pain"</small>
| align="left"|Atlantic 1130
| 12
| 1
| align="left" rowspan="3"|King of the Stroll
|-
| align="left"|"That Train Has Gone"<br /><small>b/w "Love Me Cherry"</small>
| align="left"|Atlantic 1148
| –
| –
|-
| rowspan="5"| 1958
| align="left"|"Betty and Dupree"<br /><small>b/w "My Crying Eyes"</small>
| align="left"|Atlantic 1168
| 33
| 15
|-
| align="left"|"What Am I Living For" /
| align="left" rowspan="2"|Atlantic 1179
| 9
| 1
| align="left" rowspan="2"|I Remember Chuck Willis
|-
| align="left"|"Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes"
| 24
| 9
|-
| align="left"|"My Life"<br /><small>b/w "Thunder and Lightning"</small>
| align="left"|Atlantic 1192
| 46
| 12
| align="left"|King of the Stroll
|-
| align="left"|"Keep A-Driving"<br /><small>b/w "You'll Be My Love"</small>
| align="left"|Atlantic 2005
| –
| 19
| align="left" rowspan="2"|I Remember Chuck Willis
|-
| rowspan="1"|1959
| align="left"|"Just One Kiss"<br /><small>b/w "My Baby"</small>
| align="left"|Atlantic 2029
| –
| –
|-
|}
Albums
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Title
! rowspan="2"| Label
|- style="font-size:snmall;"
!
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1958
| align="left"|Wails the Blues
| align="left"|Epic LN 3425
|-
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1958
| align="left"|King of the Stroll
| align="left"|Atlantic 8018
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1962
| align="left"|I Remember Chuck Willis
| align="left"|Atlantic 8079
|-
|}
Compilation albums
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Title
! rowspan="2"| Label
|- style="font-size:small;"
!
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1980
| align="left"|Chuck Willis -- My Story
| align="left"|CBS JC36389 (re-released by Sony on CD in 1990)
|-
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1994
| align="left"|Let's Jump Tonight -- The Best of Chuck Willis from 1951 -'56
| align="left"|Sony 53619
|-
|-
| rowspan="1"| 2001
| align="left"|I Remember Chuck Willis/King of the Stroll
| align="left"| Collectables COL-CD-6889
|-
|-
| rowspan="1"| 2006
| align="left"|C.C. Rider
| align="left"|Atlantic Collectables [sic] COL-CD-9973
|-
|}