Lowell George’s Performance Of Little Feat’s ‘Willin” Gets Us Everytime

Take a look at this nostalgic performance of Little Feat’s Lowell George as he sang one of his classics, “Willin’.”  The video can be seen below.

Lowell George wrote “Willin’” while still a member of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention. After he left the group, he formed his band, Little Feat, and recorded the song first in their debut album, and the other one (and the more popular version) inside the 1973 album “Sailin’ Shoes.” The latter has a spoken-word verse that George would say first, then followed with the rest of the song.

“Willin’” is a story from a truck driver’s point-of-view that does everything he can in a day. Driving from “Tucson to Tucumcari, Tehachapi to Tonapah” and who gets his mind going with booze and weed for that matter: “And if you give me; weed, whites, and wine / And you show me a sign / I’ll be willin’, to be movin’.”

This is easily George’s most beloved hit, so it’s quite surprising that the band’s original version isn’t the most well-known. The title goes to Linda Ronstadt, who recorded a version under her seminal 1974 album, Heart Like A Wheel. Since then, dozens of artists have come and released their versions with different twists – yet nothing could still compare to the authentic goodness that Little Feat had provided in their performances.

Check it out here.