It's Too Late (Chuck Willis song)

"It's Too Late"
Single by Chuck Willis
from the album King of the Stroll
B-side	"Kansas City Woman"
Released	May 1956
Genre	R&B [1] soul [1] pop [1]
Length	2:34
Label	Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Chuck Willis
Chuck Willis singles chronology
"It Were You" (1956) "It's Too Late" (1956) "Juanita" (1956)

"It's Too Late" is a song written by and performed by Chuck Willis. It reached No. 3 on the U.S. R&B chart in 1956. ^[2] The song was featured on his 1958 album, King of the Stroll. ^[3]

Other charting versions

• Johnny O'Keefe released a version of the song as a single in Australia in 1960 which reached No. 17. ^[4]
• Ted Taylor released a version of the song which reached No. 30 on the U.S. R&B chart and No. 118 on the U.S. pop chart in 1969. ^[5]

Other versions

• Dorothy Collins released a version of the song as the B-side to her 1957 single "Rock Me My Baby". ^[6]
• The Crickets released a version of the song on their 1957 album The "Chirping" Crickets . ^[7]
• Roy Orbison released a version of the song on his 1961 album At the Rock House. ^[8]
• Les Paul and Mary Ford released a version of the song as the B-side to their 1961 single "Mountain Railroad". ^[9]
• Charlie Rich released a version of the song as the B-side to his 1961 single "Just a Little Bit Sweet". ^[10]
• Ruth Brown released a version of the song on her 1962 album Along Came Ruth. ^[11]
• Jerry Keller released a version of the song as the B-side to his 1963 single "What Will I Tell My Darling?" ^[12]
• Sunny and the Sunliners released a version of the song as a single in 1964, but it did not chart. ^[13]
• Otis Redding released a version of the song on his 1965 album The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads . ^[14]
• Freddie King released a version of the song on his 1969 album Freddie King Is a Blues Master. ^[15]
• Derek and the Dominos released a version of the song on their 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs . ^[16] The band also performed the song on The Johnny Cash Show which was the band's only television appearance. ^[17]
• John Hammond released a version of the song on his 1970 album Southern Fried. ^[18]
• Conway Twitty released a version of the song on his 1976 album 20 Greatest Hits by Conway Twitty. ^[19]
• Freddy Fender released a version of the song on his 1972 album If You're Ever in Texas . ^[20]
• Merl Saunders, Jerry Garcia, John Kahn, and Bill Vitt released a version of the song on their 1988 album Keystone Encores . ^[21]
• The Alligators featuring The Jordanaires released a version of the song on their 1996 album The History of Rock'n'Roll. ^[22]

Samplings

• Kanye West sampled Redding's version in the song "Gone" on his 2005 album Late Registration . ^[23]

References

1. Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Plume. p. 348. ISBN   0-452-26305-0.
2. "Chuck Willis, "It's Too Late" Chart Position" . Retrieved July 16, 2018.
3. "Chuck Willis, King of the Stroll". Discogs . Retrieved July 16, 2018.
4. "Johnny O'Keefe, "It's Too Late" Single Release". Discogs . 1960. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
5. "Ted Taylor, "It's Too Late" Chart Positions" . Retrieved July 16, 2018.
6. "Dorothy Collins, "Rock Me My Baby" Single Release". Discogs . Retrieved July 16, 2018.
7. "The Crickets, The "Chirping" Crickets". Discogs . 27 November 1957. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
8. "Roy Orbison, At the Rock House". Discogs . 1961. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
9. "Les Paul and Mary Ford, "Mountain Railroad" Single Release". Discogs . 1961. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
10. "Charlie Rich, "Just a Little Bit Sweet" Single Release". Discogs . 1961. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
11. "Ruth Brown, Along Came Ruth". Discogs . September 1962. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
12. "Jerry Keller, "What Will I Tell My Darling?" Single Release" . Retrieved July 16, 2018.
13. "Sunny and the Sunliners, "It's Too Late" Single Release". Discogs . 1964. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
14. "Otis Redding, The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads". Discogs . March 1965. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
15. "Freddie King, Freddie King Is a Blues Master". Discogs . 1969. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
16. "Derek and the Dominos, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs". Discogs . 1970. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
17. "Derek and the Dominos Play The Johnny Cash Show". Archived from the original on 2020-06-25. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
18. "John Hammond, Southern Fried". Discogs . 1970. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
19. "Conway Twitty, 20 Greatest Hits by Conway Twitty". Discogs . 1972. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
20. "Freddy Fender, If You're Ever in Texas". Discogs . 1976. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
21. "Merl Saunders, Jerry Garcia, John Kahn, Bill Vitt, Keystone Encores". Discogs . 1988. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
22. "The Alligators featuring The Jordanaires, The History of Rock'n'Roll". Discogs . 1996. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
23. "Kanye West, Late Registration". Discogs . 30 August 2005. Retrieved July 16, 2018.