| Willie Chambers | |
| Birth Date: | 3 March 1938 |
| Birth Place: | Mississippi, U.S. |
| Years Active: | 1961–present |
| Instrument: | Vocals, guitar |
| Genre: | Rock, gospel music, soul music, psychedelic rock, blues |
| Associated Acts: | Chambers Brothers, Lester Chambers |
| Label: | Columbia |
| Website: | https://willie-chambers.com/ |
Willie Chambers (born March 3, 1938) is an American singer, guitarist, and former member of The Chambers Brothers, a rock band in the 1960s with hits "In The Midnight Hour", "I Can't Turn You Loose", and "Time Has Come Today". He continues to be a regular attraction at various venues in Los Angeles and further afield.
Along with brothers Lester, Joe and George, Willie was a founding member of The Chambers Brothers and stayed with them through their evolution which included the addition of drummer Brian Keenan in 1965 and the group's eventual breakup. He sang lead on one of their hits, a cover of Wilson Pickett's "In The Midnight Hour". He also co-wrote their biggest hit "Time Has Come Today" with his brother Joe. He would later work as a session musician.[1] [2] More recently, he has become more active and has collaborated with artists such as Louis Metoyer.[3] He has also been involved with Australian born artists such as Jessie Sparks and singer Stephen Rowe, appearing in his "Restless Soul" video.[4]
He had a business relationship with publicist Beverly Noga. Acts she had represented included Sonny & Cher, Cream, the Bee Gees and The Chambers Brothers. After her 1964 founded company, Contemporary Public Relations closed down, she and Willie Chambers formed Hebewillen Enterprises and Hebewillen Publishing which ran until her death in 2021.[5]
During the 1960s, Willie was worried about he and his brothers with performing political songs with Barbara Dane. Years later he said "You can’t do music and politics. It’s like gasoline and water. It doesn’t mix.".[6]
In 1969, and in Copenhagen at the time, he had a long-distance phone conversation Middleton of UK music trade magazine Record Mirror about the kind of music The Chambers brothers were playing and, was asked about the spate of reissues of the group's material.[7]
In a review of the Live in Concert on Mars album by The Chambers Brothers which featured Steve Cropper, Willie's singing on the song "Superstar" was referred to as a gem with the reviewer also saying that 7:37 wouldn't be too long for progressive airplay.[8]
Willie and brother Joe provided backing vocals on "Haunted House", a track on the Before The Rain album by Lee Oskar, released in 1978.[9]
Chambers added his vocals to a track on Kid Ramos' self-titled album. Mike Boehm of Los Angeles Times gave a review in September 1999. He noted Chambers' input to the song "Leave Me Alone", describing it as "piercing, full-on cries in the role of a man caged in a romance he doesn’t want".[10] In 2005, he sang lead on "I Move Easy" which was written by T. J. Tindall and featured Tindal, Earl Scooter on background vocals. The rhythm section featured Earl Young and Ronnie Baker and Larry Washington from MFSB.[11] [12]
In 2006, he sat in with a group called Vince and the Invinceables at a benefit concert for Arthur Lee of the group Love.[13] [14]
Between 2008 and 2009, he was involved with the Artie Vegas Revue.[15] He and his brother Joe Chambers worked with Australian singer Jessie Sparks. They contributed to the song "Calendar Years" which featured on her EP which was released in 2012. The song was described as a funky piece with a soulful vocal.[16] [17] In September 2015, Chambers and Louis Metoyer were scheduled to appear at Pickwick Gardens, Ronnie Mack's Salute to Tina Turner event.[18]
Willie was interviewed by Jeff Suwak of Songfacts where he talked about his early years in Mississippi and the career of The Chambers Brothers which was published on the website on January 3, 2018.[23]
Chambers had worked with group Trans-X and worked on two dance collaborations, "She Freaks out on the Floor" in 2018 and "Keep it Coming" in 2020.[24] [25]
On October 17, 2022, Chambers and Barbara Dane who the Chambers Bro's worked with in the mid-60s performed together live on stage in Berkley singing, "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around".[26] [27] In November, 2022 Chambers was interviewed for the Psychedelic Scene YouTube channel.[28] It was also published on line in transcript form.[29]
Willie Chambers was interviewed as an inductee for the California Music Hall of Fame which was published on the MediaNiteRadio YouTube channel on April 19, 2024.[30]
| + Singles | Act | Title | Album | Catalogue | Year | Notes # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willie Chambers | "Taxi Hey" | Angel Tongue Records | 2011 | [31] | ||
| Crazy Tomes, Guitar Shorty, Willie Chambers | "Back to the Motherland" | 2015 | [32] | |||
| Louis Metoyer feat Willie Chambers | "Get Out And Vote! | " | 2018 | [33] | ||
| Trans-X | "She Freaks out on the Floor" | Discolocos, Vol. 1 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | 2018 | [34] | ||
| Trans-X | "Keep it Coming" | iscolocos, Vol. 3 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | 2020 | [35] | ||
| + Appearances (selective) | Act | Title | Album | Catalogue | Year | Notes # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Oskar | "Haunted House" | Before The Rain | Elektra 6E-150 | 1978 | Backing: Willie, Joe and George[36] | |
| Maria Vidal | "Life On The Train" | Maria Vidal | A&M Records SP 6-5160 | 1987 | Backing: Willie and Joe[37] | |
| Kid Ramos | "Leave Me Alone" | Kid Ramos | Evidence ECD 26104-2 | 1999 | Willie Chambers vocal[38] | |
| Paul Revere & The Raiders | "Time Has Come Today" | Ride To The Wall Volume II | Ride To The Wall Foundation RTTWF 2005 | 2005 | Vocal Willie Chambers[39] | |
| Various | "Me and the Devil" | Gospel, The Ultimate Collection | The Red Box THERB432 | 2007 | Featuring Willie Chambers[40] | |
| "Restless Soul" | Restless Soul (Album) | 2009 | Willie appears in the "Restless Soul" video[41] | |||
| Jessie Sparks | "Calendar Years" | Jessie Sparks (EP) | 2012 | Backing: Willie and Joe Chambers contribute to "Calendar Years"[42] [43] | ||
| Fuzzbee Morse | "Underground Railroad" | Dreams And Other Living Things | Giant Mogul 0001 | 2015 | Backing Vocals – Joe Chambers, Lisa Frazier, Tyra Juliette, Willie Chambers[44] | |