New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Shock Ink) CHART-TOPPER CHRIS WILLIS INCLUDES COVER OF "STAND BY ME" AS BONUS TRACK ON DEBUT EPATLANTA- Singer-songwriter Chris Willis, best known for his work on
David Guetta's hits "
Gettin' Over You" (with
Fergie and LMFAO), "Love Don't Let Me Go (Walking Away)," and "Love Is Gone," has recorded a cover of the
Ben E. King 1961 No. 1 hit, "Stand By Me," as a bonus track for his debut EP, Premium (Songs From The Love Ship) Part 1, due in October on Veneer Records.
Willis gives the classic song, which was written by King and the songwriting team of Jerry Lieber - who passed away recently - and Mike Stoller, the dance-pop treatment as the bonus, seventh track of his six-song EP, which is the first in a series of three EPs under the same name, set for release this fall and winter. The EP also features the #1 hit, "Louder (Put Your Hands Up)," which reached the top spot on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart in January 2011.
"It's such a great song," says the Atlanta-based artist. "It's one of my favorite songs and I can't wait to see how fans react to my version of it." This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first release of "
Stand By Me" by King.
While Willis' debut solo EP isn't even out yet, the prolific artist is already thinking of future projects. "My closet ambition to do a whole album of covers, like jazz covers 'My Funny Valentine,' and other beautiful songs I love. So maybe this is a taste of things to come."
The inclusion of the classic "Stand By Me," which Willis gives a unique electro-pop dance take on, offers just a glimpse of where the artist is coming from musically. "I grew up listening to a lot of gospel, Christian, and even classical music," explains Willis. "But I also listened to my dad's 8-tracks by Gladys Knight & the Pips, the Spinners, the Chi-lites, Donny Hathaway, as well as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, and Cameo and The Gap Band. There's a little bit of everything I'm about musically in my songs."
Willis, who started out as a gospel artist for Warner Bros. Records and a successful session singer, songwriter, and backup singer for the likes of Ricky Martin, Dusty Springfield, Amy Grant,
Kelly Rowland, and others, has made a name for himself in the dance-pop arena through his decade-long collaboration with Guetta. Willis has sung and co-written on some of Guetta's biggest hits, including "
Gettin' Over You" (with
Fergie and LMFAO) - a #1 pop record in the U.K. with a video that has nearly 90 million views on YouTube, "
Love Don't Let Me Go (Walking Away)" and "
Love Is Gone" - both Top 10 pop records internationally. He has also left indelible mark on audiences everywhere, including at France's Main
Square Festival, Italy's Wind
Music Festival, Los Angeles' Wango Tango, New York's Beatstock and, most memorably, at the World
Music Awards.
Meanwhile, Willis is heading out for a string of international solo dates, including shows in Colombia, Switzerland, Malaysia, and a special performance at the televised closing ceremony of the international singing competition, Golden Talent 2011, in Bat'Umi, Ajaria, Georgia in Eurasia.
