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Maurice Williams and his legendary Zodiacs will perform on Friday at 8 p.m., at the Newberry Opera House in historic downtown Newberry.

Williams was born in Lancaster and has performed with the Zodiacs for decades. A skilled songwriter and singer, his chart busting “Little Darlin’” was a number 11 hit on the R&B chart in 1957, and then, when covered by the Diamonds moved up to number two nationally.

Williams finished high school and while on the road with the his band which received their name The Zodiacs after their station wagon broke down in Bluefield, W.Va., the band came across a small car known as “The Zodiac” and the rest is history.

After taking the demo of “Stay” to Al Silver at Herald Records in New York City, the song was pressed and released in early 1960.

“Stay” is the shortest recording ever to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. Later versions of “Stay” by The Four Seasons (1964) and Jackson Browne (1978) also reached the Top 20, each selling over one million copies in the United States alone.

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. At the end of 1963, British band the Hollies covered “Stay”, which gave the group their debut top 10 hit single in the United Kingdom, peaking at number eight.

A 1961 recording by the group, “May I”, also released by Herald Records became, over the years, another million selling record. Williams continues recording, touring, and releasing music through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. He is still active on the music industry, residing in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Reserve your tickets today for Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs at the Newberry Opera House on Friday night at 8.

For ticket information contact the Newberry Opera House box office.

Please call 276-6264 for reservations or visit online at www.newberryoperahouse.com.