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 #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 #17.[4]
• Ted Taylor released a version of the song which reached #30 on the U.S. R&B chart and #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.