The Little Willies was a collaborative effort between bassist Lee Alexander, pianist/vocalist Norah Jones, guitarist/vocalist Richard Julian, drummer Dan Rieser and guitarist Jim Campilongo. The collaboration started out simply with these five friends, who were also involved in separate projects at the time, and their desire to play together. Lee Alexander is a singer/songwriter whose music covers the genres of folk, blues and jazz. Norah Jones is perhaps one of the most well known members of the group, as solo artist she has won six Grammy Awards and has had a string of number one hit albums. Richard Julian is a gifted songwriter who is well known in the music underground as a folk singer. Dan Rieser is a member of post-grunge, alternative pop/rock band Marcy Playground. Jim Camilongo is a country-jazz guitarist from San Francisco.

The Little Willies all grew up listening to the likes of Hank Williams, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson among others. They discovered their shared love for that genre, and soon decided to bring their talents together to play the old songs that they loved. The collaboration soon grew, and after a while the group moved on from playing covers by the likes of Willie Nelson and Fred Rose, to playing original songs.

The group released their self-titled debut album on March 7, 2005, with Milking Bull Records. The group, which had started off as a one-time gig, now plays regularly at their original venue The Living Room in New York City. The band's club shows are a great experience, and their album is also exciting. Richard Julian actually acts as the leader for the band, taking lead vocals on as many songs as the group's most famous member, Norah Jones.