Maurice Williams (b. 1940)

Maurice Williams is an R&B piano player, lead singer and songwriter. He was born in Lancaster, South Carolina and wrote the classic doo-wop song 'Stay'. Maurice formed 'The Zodiacs', whose original members were Williams, Willie Jones, Earl Gainey, William Massey and Norman Wade.

In the early summer of 1959, The Zodiacs recorded in a Quonset Hut on Two Notch Road in Columbia. They recorded several tracks, hoping one would become a hit. One of the last tracks recorded that day was 'Stay', a song Maurice had written a couple of weeks before.




'Stay' was pressed and released in early 1960 and is the shortest recording ever to reach number one on the charts in the United States. Their follow-up songs 'I Remember' and 'Come Along' were minor hits. Williams went on to record solo songs later in his career.

Wikipedia
Soul Motion
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs

• The inclusion of 'Stay' on the soundtrack to the film 'Dirty Dancing' in 1987 led to the song selling more records than it had during its original release.
• Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs won a talent contest in Lancaster, SC and began to perform at various locations along the eastern seaboard.
• The Zodiacs performed under a variety of names before hitting the big time in 1960: the Royal Charms, the Gladiolas, and the Excellos.
• Over the years the song 'Stay' has been re-done by other artists who also had a hit with it, including The Hollies, the 4 Seasons, and Jackson Browne.
• Maurice Williams is an inductee of the South Carolina Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. In 2001, he received The Order of the Palmetto from Governor Jim Hodges. The Order of the Palmetto is the highest honor that any civilian can receive from the State of South Carolina.