Jimmy Witherspoon
One of the great blues singers of the post-World War II period, Jimmy Witherspoon was also versatile enough to fit comfortably into the jazz world. Witherspoon was born on August 8, 1920 in Gurdon, Arizona. As a child, he sang in a church choir, and he made his debut recordings with Jay McShann for Philo and Mercury in 1945 and 1946. His own first recordings, using McShann's band, resulted in a number one R&B hit in 1949 with "Ain't Nobody's Business, Pts. 1 & 2" on Supreme Records. Live performances of "No Rollin' Blues" and "Big Fine Girl" provided 'Spoon with two more hits in 1950.
The mid-'50s were a lean time, with his style of shouting blues temporarily out of fashion; singles were tried for Federal, Chess, Atco, Vee Jay, and others, with little success. Jimmy Witherspoon at the Monterey Jazz Festival (HiFi Jazz) from 1959 lifted him back into the limelight. Partnerships with Ben Webster or Groove Holmes were recorded, and he toured Europe in 1961 with Buck Clayton, performing overseas many more times in the decades to follow. Witherspoon's best 1960s recording is generally considered to be Evening Blues (Prestige), which features T-Bone Walker on guitar and Clifford Scott on saxophone.
As the '70s began, Witherspoon decided to take a short break from live performances, settled in Los Angeles, took a job as a disc jockey, and continued making records. In 1971, Witherspoon teamed up with former Animals vocalist Eric Burdon for the album Guilty. By 1973, Witherspoon was ready to get back on the road and assembled a band featuring a young Robben Ford on lead guitar. Those live shows had received positive reviews, rejuvenating Witherspoon's move toward a definite rock/soul sound. He traveled to London in 1974 to record Love Is a Five Letter Word with British blues producer Mike Vernon, who had produced critically acclaimed British blues albums by John Mayall, Fleetwood Mac, and Ten Years After. By the early '80s, Witherspoon was diagnosed with throat cancer. Although he remained active and was a popular concert attraction, the effect of the disease on his vocals was obvious. Witherspoon passed away on September 18, 1997 at the age of 77.
© Bob Porter, Scott Yanow & Al Campbell /TiVo
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Black & White Blues
Jimmy Witherspoon, Eric Burdon
Blues - Released by Avenue records on 1 Jan 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Evenin' Blues
Blues - Released by Original Blues Classics on 15 Aug 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Blues For Easy Livers
Blues - Released by Fantasy on 30 Nov 1964
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Urban Blues Singing Legend 1951-1953
Blues - Released by JSP on 28 Nov 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Urban Blues Singing Legend 1949-1951
Blues - Released by JSP on 28 Nov 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blues Around The Clock (Remastered)
Blues - Released by Original Blues Classics on 5 Nov 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blue Spoon/Spoon In London
Blues - Released by Original Blues Classics on 1 Jan 1964
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jimmy Witherspoon & Robben Ford (Live at the Ash Grove, 1976)
Jimmy Witherspoon, Robben Ford
Blues - Released by Avenue records on 1 Jan 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Singin' The Blues
Jazz - Released by Blue Note Records on 1 Jan 1959
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Anthology (Original Recordings)
Jazz - Released by Miradas Records on 26 Sep 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Witherspoon & Lloyd
Jimmy Witherspoon, Charles Lloyd
R&B - Released by Good Time Records on 25 Nov 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spoon's Life (Blues Power)
Blues - Released by Isabel Records on 1 Jan 1980
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jimmy Witherspoon & Panama Francis' Savoy Sultans (The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions)
Jazz - Released by Disques Black & Blue on 1 Jan 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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With The Duke Robillard Band
Blues - Released by Stony Plain Records on 12 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jimmy Witherspoon: Roots
Jazz - Released by Blue Velvet on 28 Sep 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Me Blues: The Best Of Jimmy Witherspoon
Blues - Released by Prestige on 1 Jan 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Baby, Baby, Baby
Blues - Released by Original Blues Classics on 6 Mar 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Soledad Blues
Eric Burdon, Jimmy Witherspoon
Blues - Released by Vanilla OMP on 26 Apr 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Blues Is Now
Jimmy Witherspoon, Jack McDuff
Jazz - Released by Verve Reissues on 1 Jan 1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo