Willie The Wimp (and his Cadillac Coffin) performed live by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble at Mann's Music Center in Philadelphia, PA, June 30th 1987.
The song was written by Bill Carter and first released on his 1985 album "Stompin' Grounds". Jimmie Vaughan was a friend of Bill's and played guitar on the original version and he recommended it to his brother Stevie who loved the song and performed it live often. Stevie never did a studio version but released a live version on his 1986 live album Live Alive. The version used here is a superior performance and recording in my opinion.
Willie 'the Wimp' Stokes was the son of Chicago mobster Flukey Stokes. Flukey Stokes garnered international notoriety for the arrangements he made for his son Willie the Wimp's funeral. The younger Stokes followed his father's example trafficking narcotics and rivaled his dad's appetite for gambling. Flukey said of his son, "[he was] a fine young man; he was very well liked and did a lot of gambling."
Willie the Wimp was buried in a custom-designed casket made to resemble a Cadillac Seville. At his viewing he was propped up in the coffin with his hands on the steering wheel. The casket had functioning headlights and taillights that blinked, whitewall tires, a windshield and a vanity license plate that read "Wimp", Stokes' nickname. He wore "a flaming red suit, a jaunty gray hat and diamond rings. Several $100 bills stuck out from between his fingers.
This video uses the only known image of the real Willie The Wimp in his 'cadillac coffin' and the lyrics tell the story. It is the definitive version of story set to pictures.
14 окт 2024
