Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs

Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs

Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs were an American doo-wop/R&B vocal group best remembered for their 1960 No. 1 hit “Stay,” the shortest song ever to top the Billboard Hot 100 (1:38).

Maurice Williams, born in 1939 in Lancaster, South Carolina, formed his first group, the Royal Charms, as a teen in the mid-1950s. After relocating and name changes (including the Gladiolas, with “Little Darlin'” in 1957), he assembled the Zodiacs in the late 1950s.

“Stay,” written by Williams at age 15 as a plea to a girl to linger after a date, was recorded in 1960 for Herald Records with a simple arrangement: Williams’ lead, falsetto backups, and chants of “Stay!” It topped the charts in November 1960, selling over a million copies and becoming a timeless doo-wop classic featured in films like Dirty Dancing.

Despite the massive success, follow-ups like “Come Along” failed to chart significantly, cementing one-hit wonder status. Williams continued performing and recording sporadically into later decades, reforming groups and appearing on oldies revivals. He retained rights to “Stay” and saw it covered by acts like The Hollies and Jackson Browne.

Williams passed away in 2021, but “Stay” endures as a quintessential example of concise, heartfelt 1960s vocal group pop.