Willard McDaniel (November 15, 1915 – December 13, 1961) was an American jazz and blues singer and pianist. He was born in Stamps, Arkansas. He started playing the piano at an early age. He lived in California from the mid-1930s, where he began playing in Hollywood with Roy Milton's group, later working as a session musician at Specialty Records. He performed in a distinctive stride piano style that has been compared to Fats Waller. McDaniel released most of his work during the 1950s. In 1958, Crown Records issued his album 88 a la Carte, with McDaniel leading a jazz trio performing standards in an easy listening style.