Willie Hale facts for kids

Willie George Hale (born August 15, 1945) is a talented American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Many people know him by his nickname, Little Beaver. He has played on many popular songs since the 1960s, making his guitar sound famous.

Early Life and Becoming a Session Musician

Willie Hale was born in Forrest City, Arkansas, in 1945. He got the nickname "Little Beaver" when he was a kid because of his teeth. He became a really skilled guitar player at a young age.

In the early 1960s, Willie moved to Florida. In 1969, he signed with the Cat label. This label was part of TK Records, a big music company in Hialeah, near Miami.

What is a Session Musician?

A session musician is someone who plays instruments on recordings for other artists. They are often not the main singer or band member. Willie Hale became a very popular session musician. His special guitar sound was heard on many hit songs from TK Records. For example, he played on Betty Wright's famous song "Clean Up Woman". However, he did not play on George McCrae's "Rock Your Baby". Another musician named Jerome Smith played guitar on that song.

Willie Hale's Solo Music Career

Willie Hale started releasing his own music in the early 1970s. He used his nickname, Little Beaver, for these songs. His biggest hit song was "Party Down" in 1974. This song reached number 2 on the US Billboard R&B music chart.

He released five albums as Little Beaver in the 1970s. These albums were a mix of blues, soul, and funk music. Many other great Florida R&B musicians played on his records. These included singer Betty Wright, pianist Benny Latimore, and organist Timmy Thomas.

Willie Hale's main recording career slowed down in the early 1980s. This was around the time TK Records closed down. However, he returned to music in 2003. Betty Wright asked him to play on Joss Stone's albums, The Soul Sessions and Mind Body & Soul. He also released a new album in 2008.

His Musical Legacy

Willie Hale's music continues to be important today. Some of his songs have been sampled by hip hop artists. Sampling means taking a small part of an old song and using it in a new song.

• The hip hop group People Under the Stairs sampled his songs "Get into the Party Life" and "I Can Dig It Baby" for their 2002 album O.S.T.. They even named their songs "Suite for Beaver, Part 1" and "Suite for Beaver, Part 2" to honor him.
• Jay-Z sampled "Get into the Party Life" for his song "Party Life" on his 2007 album American Gangster.
• The music group Lion Babe also covered "Get into the Party Life" on their 2019 album Cosmic Wind.
• In 2020, Corona used "Get into the Party Life" in a commercial with Snoop Dogg.
• More recently, Kendrick Lamar sampled "Give Me a Helping Hand" for his song "peekaboo" on his 2024 album GNX.

Willie Hale's guitar playing and songs have clearly left a lasting mark on music!