Willie Chambers (born March 3, 1938) is an American singer, guitarist, and former member of the Chambers Brothers, a rock band in the 1960s with hits "Time Has Come Today", "I Can't Turn You Loose", and "Love, Peace and Happiness". He continues to be a regular attraction at various venues in Los Angeles and further afield.
Background Willie Chambers, along with brothers Lester, Joe and George, was a founding member of The Chambers Brothers and stayed with them through their evolution which included drummers, Mike Konnic,classicbands.com The Chambers BrothersBlues RecordsA Complete Guide to 20 Years of Recorded Blues, By Mike Leadbitter and Neil Slaven, 1968 - - Page 47 CHAMBERS BROTHERSNAMM - Willie and Joe Chambers Full Interview January 20, 2020, Time 26:55 and Jesse "Nicky" Cahn,Cash Box, March 26, 1966 - Page 15 Cash Box RECOD RAMBLINGS, NEW YORK then settling on drummer Brian Keenan in the mid-1960s, and through to the group's eventual breakup.
He was born into a sharecropping family in a poor part of Mississippi. There were eight brothers and five sisters in the family.Richie Unterberger - LINER NOTES FOR THE CHAMBERS BROTHERS' PEOPLE GET READY By Richie Unterberger Willie and his three brothers started out singing at the Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Lee County. Older Brother George who had been in the army headed to South Los Angeles after his release and later on, the three other brothers followed.Music Amnezia, Feb, 10 - 2014 - 1954: The Chambers Brothers
He sang lead on their cover of Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour".Local Lix, June 03, 2019 - Willie Chambers, The Chambers Brothers, Part 1 – Willie Chambers (11:50)A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs, October 13, 2021 - Episode 134: “In the Midnight Hour” by Wilson Pickett By Andrew Hickey He also co-wrote their biggest hit "Time Has Come Today" with his brother Joe.
He would later work as a session musician.
In recent years, he has become more active and has collaborated with artists such as Louis Metoyer.Frank Beacham's Journal, March 03, 2021 - Willie Chambers, a former member of The Chambers Brothers, is 83 years old today He has also been involved with Australian born artists such as Jessie Sparks and singer Stephen Rowe, appearing in his "Restless Soul" video.
He had a business relationship with publicist Beverly Noga, who, in the past had represented Sonny & Cher, Cream, the Bee Gees and The Chambers Brothers. After her company which she founded in 1964, Contemporary Public Relations closed down, she and Willie Chambers formed Hebewillen Enterprises and Hebewillen Publishing, which ran until her death in 2021.The Hollywood Reporter, OCTOBER 11, 2021 - Music Publicist Beverly Noga Dies at 87 by Mike Barnes
Career 1960s In 1962 Willie Chambers had teamed up with Luke "Long Gone" Miles. During that year and the following year, Chambers had regular performances with Miles at San Francisco's Sugar Hill club and at the Ash Grove.Big Road Blues, September 9, 2012 - Big Road Blues Show 9/9/12: I Walked All The Way From Fifth Street To Watts – Out West Blues Pt. 1, country born LONG GONE MILES He also played guitar on Miles' Country Born album that was released in 1964.Wirz.de - Luke Long Gone Miles, Discography, Long Gone Miles: Country BornDown Beat, December 17, 1964 - Page 34 BLUES 'N' FOLK By PETE WELDING, Luke (Long Gone) Miles, Country Born (World-Pacific 1820) The album was reviewed in the 17 December 1964 issue of Down Beat. In noting the similarity between Miles and Lightnin' Hopkins, the reviewer also wrote that Willie Chambers "re-creates the Hopkins’ guitar style to complete the illusion".Down Beat, - Page 34 BLUES 'N' FOLK By PETE WELDING
During the 1960s, The Chambers Brothers performed with Barbara Dane. Willie was worried about himself and his brothers performing political songs with Dane. Years later he said "You can’t do music and politics. It’s like gasoline and water. It doesn’t mix.".KPCC 89.3FM - The Frame, Activist and folksinger Barbara Dane taught The Chambers Brothers how to ‘do your thing’
By 1965, The Chambers Brothers had signed with the Vault record label.Pop Matters, 14 February 2008 - Forgotten Treasures of ’60s Soul: The Chambers Brothers’ Vault Recordings With brother Joe, Willie composed "Call Me" which was produced by Cliff Goldsmith. Backed with Joe's composition, "Seventeen", it was released in the US on Vault V-920 in 1965, and in the UK on Vocalion 9276.45Cat - The Chambers Brothers - Discography, USA, Call MeTales From the Woods, Issue No. 43/44 - July/August 2004 - Page 23 SOUL/R&B released in the UK Years later, it was described by Way Back Attack as a "raw and rockin' soul tune...with a prominent cowbell beat!".Way Back Attack - THE CHAMBERS BROTHERS Time Has Come Today The group performed the song as well as "Don't Lose Your Cool" on Hollywood a Go Go on 26 June 1965.Funky 16 Corners, September 13, 2016 - The Chambers Brothers – Call MeGazzarri Dancers - featuring the 1964-66 HOLLYWOOD A GO-GO dancers, EPISODE LIST, EPISODE # 27 HOLLYWOOD A GO-GO SYND.EP.# 21, JUNE 26, 1965, CHAMBERS BROTHERS - "Call Me" In an interview on 20 January 2020, Willie and Joe talked about "Call Me" and how it got played on a radio station, one they remembered being KRLA that had the Rocket to Stardom show. They said that their song was opposite to what the station was usually playing. "Call Me" was a "Record of the Week there".NAMM - Willie and Joe Chambers Full Interview January 20, 2020, Time 13:00 The UK release on Vocalion had a brief review in the 30 July 1966 issue of Record Mirror, where the reviewer said that they managed a few interesting gimmicks on the song.Record Mirror, July 30, 1966 - Page 9 singles reviewed by Norman Jopling and Peter Jones, rapid reviews "Time Has Come Today" The group's album The Time Has Come was out by late 1967. It was reviewed in the 25 November issue of Cash Box. It contained songs, "All Strung Out Over You", "People Get Ready", "I Can't Stand It", "In the Midnight Hour", "What the World Needs Now Is Love", and "Time Has Come Today".Cash Box, November 25, 1967 - Page 25 Cash Box Album Reviews, Pop Best Bets, Chambers Brothers—Columbia CL 2722/CS 9522Popsike - 1967 The Chambers Brothers "The Time Has Come" Vinyl LP Record One of the songs, "In the Midnight Hour", was performed by the Chambers Brothers to an audience of 3,000 at the Newport Festival.Billboard, July 29, 1967 - Page 24 Talent, Newport Port of Call for All Music The version on the album was sung by Willie. The lead singer on "Time Has Come Today" was Joe Chambers.The Ed Sullivan Show channel, Nov 12, 2020 - The Chambers Brothers "Time Has Come Today" on The Ed Sullivan ShowEven though Jim Beviglia of American Songwriter credits George Chambers as the singer on the song", he is correct that Joe did most of the writing and Willie's contribution was more in the instrumentation.American Songwriter, May 4, 2025 - How The Chambers Brothers Snuck “Time Has Come Today” Past the Label to Music Immortality By Jim Beviglia The line, "My soul has been psychedelicized" is from Willie.Power Pop, November 12, 2022 - Chambers Brothers – Time Has Come Today Further activities Willie composed the song "There She Goes" which was included on the Shout! which was released on the Vault label in 1968. According to the Liner Notes website by Richie Unterberger the song was "bouncy R&B/rock, complete with harmonica, that sounded almost like it could have been filler for an early Rolling Stones LP".Richie Unterberger - LINER NOTES FOR THE CHAMBERS BROTHERS' SHOUT! By Richie Unterberger
In October 1968, the Chambers Brothers' album, A New Time – A New Day was released. It was reviewed in the 12 October issue of Record World. It contained the songs, "A New Time – A New Day", "I Can't Turn You Loose", "Guess Who", "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", "Love is All I Have", "You Got the Power - To Turn Me On" and "No, No, No, Don't Say Good-By". The last two songs were composed by Willie.Record World, October 12, 1968 - Page 12 record world ALBUM REVIEWS, A NEW TIME -A NEW DAY, THE CHAMBERS BROTHERS - Columbia CS 9671.Popsike - THE CHAMBERS BROTHERS SOUTH AFRICA LP A NEW TIME - A NEW DAY, SIDE 1, SIDE 2 "Love is All I Have", "You Got the Power" Willie also sang lead on "Love is All I Have", and "You Got the Power - To Turn Me On".
Alexis Korner and Peter Thorup would perform "You Got the Power" live in 1973 which appeared on their album.Apple Music - Live on Tour in Germany (Live) (with Snape), Alexis Korner, Peter Thorup Thorup and Ole Frimer would record a version which appeared on their 2016 "På Stedet album. iMusic - På Stedet, Peter Thorup & Ole Frimer Danish band, The Blues Overdrive would perform the song in 2018.Bluesnews.dk, 12 Mar 2018 - The Blues Overdrive gemte trumferne til sidst - Jakob Wandam, Demonstrerede klassen
Further activities The Chambers Brothers were in Copenhagen in 1969; Willie had a long-distance phone conversation with Ian Middleton of UK music trade magazine Record Mirror about the kind of music the Chambers brothers were playing and was asked about the spate of reissues of the group's material. Chambers told of how the audiences were receiving them, and how the band didn't consider themselves as an underground group, but how the FM stations helped their records break through.Record Mirror, No. 419 March 22, 1969 - Page 10 CHAMBER BROTHERS: "MUSICAL MISFITS?" 1970s - 1980s The Chambers Brothers recorded the Live in Concert on Mars, which was released on Roxbury RLX 106 in 1976. The album also featured Steve Cropper on guitar. The album was reviewed in the 23 October 1976 issue of Cash Box. Willie's singing on the song "Superstar" was referred to as a gem with the reviewer also saying that 7:37 wouldn't be too long for progressive airplay.Cash Box, October 23, 1976 - Page 26 ALBUM REVIEWS, LIVE IN CONCERT ON MARS — The Chambers Brothers — Roxbury RLX 106 — Producer: Wes Farrell — List: 6.98
Willie and brother Joe provided backing vocals on "Haunted House", a track on the Before The Rain album by Lee Oskar, released in 1978.Discogs - Lee Oskar – Before The Rain
In 1984, he was part of a group called the Chambers Brothers Band which featured himself, Joe Chambers, Chris Chambers, Duke Williams, Corey Spags and Cotton Kent.Discogs - The Chambers Brothers Band – The Chambers Brothers Are Back, Back cover Group members, Williams, Kent and Spags (aka Corey SpagnoloBucks County Courier Times, 24 Dec 1976 - Page 13Bandcamp - music community ATLANTIC CITY GAMBLER by Duke Williams & The Extremes, Recorded at Criteria Sound Studios - Miami, FLAFlickr - Duke Williams and The Extremes 1980) were from the group, Duke Williams and The Extremes.Cash Box, January 19, 1974 - Page 20 cash Box talent on stage, Mountain Duke Wiliams & The Extremes They recorded three songs at Rusk Studios. They were "Here We Go", "Let's Get Funky" and "You Are My Life".Unheard80s.com - The Chambers Brothersunheard80s channel, Dec 12, 2012 - "Here We Go" by the Chambers Brothers (Short Sample) "Lets Get Funky", which was apparently released on the Vogue label in Europe, was heard live on a show at RFM in Paris in 1984.Billboard, July 14, 1984 - Page 20 Radio, Featured Programming They also released a four-track 12" EP The Chambers Brothers Are Back in 1985, that had the songs, "Ive Been Lovin' You Too Long", "Rainin' in My Heart", "Body Work Part 1" and "Body Work Part 2".Discogs - The Chambers Brothers Band – The Chambers Brothers Are Back
1990s Chambers added his vocals to a track on Kid Ramos' self-titled album. Mike Boehm of Los Angeles Times gave a review in September 1999. He noted Chambers' input to the song "Leave Me Alone", describing it as "piercing, full-on cries in the role of a man caged in a romance he doesn’t want".Los Angeles Times, SEPT. 10, 1999 - Album Review : Guitarist Finds the Right Chord : *** 1/2 KID RAMOS, “Kid Ramos,” Evidence BY MIKE BOEHM