Maurice Williams, the rhythm and blues singer-songwriter who, with his backing group the Zodiacs, became one of music's greats with the classic ballad 'Stay', has died. It was 86.
Williams died on August 6, according to one communication from the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, which did not immediately provide further details.
A writer and performer since childhood, Williams had been in various harmony groups when he and the Zodiacs began a studio session in 1960.
They unexpectedly made history near the end by recording “Stay,” which Williams had scrapped as a teenager a few years earlier.
Over harsh chants of “Stay!” of his fellow singers, Williams transferred much of his singing and appeal to an unnamed girl. Midway through, he backed off and gave the lead to Shane Gaston and one of rock's most memorable falsetto vocals — “Oh, you won't stay, just a little longer!”
At just 1 minute and 30 seconds, among the shortest chart toppers of the rock era, the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard pop chart in 1960 and was the group's only major hit.
But it was covered by the Hollies and the Four Seasons among others early on and has endured as an old favourite, best known since Jackson Browne sang it live in 1977. Running on empty album.
“Stay” was also performed by Browne, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty and others at the 1979 No Nukes concert at Madison Square Garden and appeared in its original version on the blockbuster. Dirty Dancing soundtrack from 1987.
The song was inspired by a teenage girl, Mary Shropshire.
“(Mary) was the one I was trying to stay a little longer,” Williams he said the North Carolina edition Our State in 2012. “Of course, he couldn't.”
Williams' career was otherwise a story of disappointments. He wrote another falsetto showcase, “Little Darlin',” and recorded it in 1957 with the Gladiolas. But the song became a hit for a white group, the Diamonds. In 1965, Williams and the Zodiacs cut a promising ballad, “May I.” But their label, Vee-Jay, went bankrupt around the time the song was released, and “May I” later became a hit for another white group, Bill Deal & the Rhondels.
Like many stars from the early rock era, Williams took part in tours and oldies tributes, while also making the albums Let this night last and Back to Basics. In the mid-1960s, he settled in Charlotte, North Carolina, and in 2010 was voted into the state's Hall of Fame. Survivors include his wife, Emily;
Williams was born in Lancaster, South Carolina and sang with family members in church while growing up. He was in his teens when he formed a gospel group, the Junior Harmonizers, which became the Royal Charms as they evolved into secular music, and then the Zodiacs in honor of a Ford car they used on the road. Meanwhile, he was a prolific writer and needed some time to complete what became his signature success.
“It took me about 30 minutes to write 'Stay' and then I threw it away,” he later told www.classicsbands.com. “We were looking for songs to record as Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs. I was at my girlfriend's house playing the tape of the songs I had written, when her little sister said, “Please play the song in a high voice.” I knew he meant “Stay.” He was about 12 years old and I said to myself, “This is the record buying age” and the rest is history. I thank God for her.”
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/maurice-williams-dead-stay-singer-zodiacs-dies-obituary-1235755449/
