MAURICE Williams, the lead singer of Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, has died at the age of 86.
The singer was known for his hit song Stay, which was featured in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing.
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A cause of death has not yet been publicly revealed.
Maurice is survived by his wife, Emily, with whom he lived with in Charlotte, North Carolina.
MAURICE’S CAREER
The R&B singer was born in Lancaster, South Carolina, where he formed his first group, The Royal Charms, during his teenage years.
The group, known at the time as The Diamonds, released their first big hit, Little Darlin, in 1957.
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In 1959, he renamed the band to Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs.
They released their doo-wop classic Stay In 1960, becoming the shortest No. 1 song on the Billboard singles chart.
Herald Records released Stay out of New York City, and the label provided the group with national distribution.
When reflecting on that year, Maurice told Riveting Riffs that the band “made a lot of records on local labels around home and none of them worked and they were being produced by the same two guys from Lancashire High School who produced the talent show.
“They recorded Stay and they took Stay to New York, with some more songs and they shopped them up there,” he added.
“Stay is my signature song.”
Maurice also said that he originally sang the falsetto on the song, but scouted out Shane Gaston to sing it instead.
“When I wrote it, I originally sang it, but when we recorded it, I said we need somebody, because I don’t have a good falsetto,” Maurice explained.
“I heard Shane Gaston sing in Charlotte and when I went to Charlotte, I got him to audition with the group, to sing it and to record it with us.”
Maurice Williams’ Career
The singer has become an R&B legend over the past six decades
- Maurice started his musical career in high school, where he formed The Royal Charms.
- The band then became The Diamonds and released their first major hit in 1957.
- Maurice renamed the group to Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs in 1959.
- In 1960, they released their hit song, Stay, which was featured in Dirty Dancing.
- Maurice was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2007.
- He became a member of the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2010.
“He said he would do it and then he joined the group,” he added.
The group released other hits such as May I, Come Along, Being Without You, and I Remember.
In 2007, Maurice was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
He became a member of the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame three years later.
Maurice’s illustrious career spanned over 60 years, leading him to solidify himself as a pioneer of rhythm and blues.