Maurice Williams, the rhythm and blues singer and composer behind the classic ballad “Stay,” died on Aug. 6. He was 86, according to the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame’s announcement. Williams, who became a one hit wonder with the Zodiacs, wrote and performed music with other harmony groups throughout the 1960s. “Stay” rose to No. 1 on the Billboard pop chart in 1960, and was one of the shortest top songs of the era. The ballad was the Zodiac’s only hit, and went on to be featured in the Dirty Dancing soundtrack and covered by the Four Seasons and Jackson Browne. According to a 2012 interview with a North Carolina publication, the song was inspired by Williams’ teen-age crush, Mary Shropshire.
