Maurice Williams, singer of the group The Zodiacs whose famous ballad Stay will be one of the greatest musical successes, recently died at the age of 86.
Williams died Aug. 6, according to an announcement from the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, which did not provide further details at this time.
A writer and performer since childhood, Maurice Williams had been in various vocal harmony groups when he and The Zodiacs did a studio recording session in 1960.
They made history in an unexpected way with their recording of Staywhich Mr. Williams had written quickly a few years earlier while still a teenager.
At just over a minute and thirty seconds long, the song is one of the shortest of the rock era. It reached number one on the pop charts in 1960 and was the group’s only major hit.
It has been covered by the Hollies, the Four Seasons and Jackson Browne. The Zodiacs’ version is featured on the film’s soundtrack. Lascivious dance (Dirty Dancing).
Williams was born in Lancaster, South Carolina, and sang with family members in church as a child. As a teenager, he formed a gospel group, the Junior Harmonizers, which became the Royal Charms when they began performing outside of church, and later the Zodiacs, named after a Ford car they used on the road.
