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November 1980, at the age of only 41, of a heart attack, his system having been
fatally weakened by continuing drug abuse.

During his career OV hit the R&B top 20 on 21 occasions, and was loved and admired
by his contemporaries for his professional approach and consummate vocal skills.

You can hear this for yourselves on the Backbeat CD “Giant of Southern Soul”.

Willie Hightower

This was a name new to me until a few years ago,
when I heard a track on the radio, and my ears
pricked up at this great Southern Soul voice.

Willie was born in Gadsden, Alabama on September
30th 1940, where he has lived virtually all his life -
incidentally, the same place that produced harmonica

supremo Jerry McCain and Beyonce’s father Mathew
Knowles!

By the age of six he was singing regularly in the

church, and joined a local gospel group, The Silver
Stars, but by 18 he was already singing professionally
with The Gospel Consolaters, who were out of

Pasadena, California. He performed with them for two years before returning home.
He based his vocal style on the Soul Stirrers era Sam Cooke - “I just loved the sound
of his voice”.

His fledgling career ticked up a few notches when a local deejay phoned record
company owner and producer Bobby Robinson in New York (the same man who
worked with Buster Brown, King Curtis, Lee Dorsey and Elmore James). Robinson

had Willie fly to New York, signed him up, and became his manager for the next 10
years. He had only once previously been in a recording studio, with the Gospel
Consolaters, when two of his songs were recorded for releases on the Peacock label.

Another of his songs (‘Too Late’), was released in 1965 as the B-side of his first single
(‘What Am I Living For’) for Bobby Robinson, on the Enjoy label. As was usually the
case in those days, manager Robinson got a co-writing credit on the song. The next

two singles appeared on the Fury label, the first of which was a re-working of ‘If I
Had A Hammer’ (1967), and his third, and last release on one of Robinson’s labels
was ‘Let’s Walk Together’. The influence of Sam Cooke was notable in his work, but

his voice had its own spirit and soul, so he could not be accused of being a copier.

In 1967 Willie signed for Capitol Records. Robinson’s record labels had gone out of
business, but he arranged for the new contract for his client, and continued to work

with him, including for the release of his first album.