Floyd Dixon
West Coast jump blues singer and pianist Floyd Dixon was a vital link in the evolution from swing to R&B. The self-appointed "Mr. Magnificent," his energetic, raucous sound was a seminal influence on Ray Charles, anticipating the emergence of modern soul music by more than a decade. Born Jay Riggins, Jr., on February 8, 1929, in Marshall, TX, Dixon grew up not far from the Louisiana border, absorbing the blues, gospel, and roots music of bayou country. As a child he taught himself piano, and after his family relocated to Los Angeles in 1942 he worked as a drugstore clerk and golf caddie. Dixon later studied hotel management and pursued a career in professional football, but music remained his passion. After claiming top honors in a series of L.A. amateur showcases, he cut his debut single at the behest of bandleader Johnny Otis, issuing "Houston Jump" on the Swing Time label in 1948. With his mellow, after-hours blues approach, the fledgling Dixon earned endless comparisons to Charles Brown, who became his mentor and installed him in bassist Eddie Williams' band, the Brown Buddies. Dixon also signed a solo deal with Modern Records, scoring his first local hit with 1949's "Dallas Blues." "Mississippi Blues" followed a year later and proved a smash in the Deep South. Over the span of successive releases including "Cow Town," "Gloomy Baby," and "Shuffle Boogie," Dixon began developing his own signature sound, channeling the gospel and Delta blues influences of his youth to forge a gritty, dynamic approach that forecast the birth of rock & roll. While on tour with a young Ray Charles, he even suggested Charles shift away from Nat King Cole-inspired pop and "try it with more of a gospel flavor."
Aladdin Records acquired Dixon's contract with Modern in late 1950, immediately pairing him with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers for "Telephone Blues," his first nationwide hit. "Doin' the Town" quickly followed, and across 1951 Aladdin flooded the market with Dixon material, including "Walking and Talking Blues," "Let's Dance," "Empty Stocking Blues," and "Do I Love You." The deluge proved more than radio or retail could bear and none of the singles made much commercial impact. Not until June 1952 did Dixon score his next significant hit, "Wine Wine Wine." He spent much of the remaining year touring the Midwest and Southern U.S. in support of the follow-up, "The River," highlighted by an extended residency at Kansas City's Orchid Room. After a few more Aladdin releases, most notably "Broken Hearted Traveler" and the Jerry Lieber/Mike Stoller-penned "Too Much Jelly Roll," Dixon jumped to Art Rupe's Specialty imprint, making his label debut in mid-1953 with "Hard Living Alone." "Hole in the Wall" followed by year's end, but neither was a hit, and when the same fate befell 1954's "Ooh Ee, Ooh Eee," the company terminated his contract. Dixon soon resurfaced on Atlantic's Cat subsidiary with "Moonshine." Its successor, "Hey Bartender," would prove his most enduring hit, thanks in large part to a reverential Blues Brothers cover issued nearly a quarter century later.
While his sound and style clearly predated modern R&B and rock & roll, Dixon was nevertheless lost in the shuffle as a new generation of artists began dominating the charts, and during the mid-'50s he wandered between L.A. independent labels like Pearl, Cash, and Ebb to little success. He continued touring into the early '60s before virtually disappearing from sight, living in seclusion in Paris, TX. When the Swedish label Route 66 issued a 1975 compilation of Dixon's classic postwar material to great acclaim across Europe, he traveled overseas to mount his first tour in over a decade, later joining Ruth Brown and old friend Charles Brown on the European Blues Caravan. Dixon also toured with then-unknown Robert Cray and Little Charlie & the Nightcats, and in 1984 was commissioned by the Los Angeles Olympic Games organizing committee to write "Olympic Blues." The Rhythm and Blues Foundation awarded Dixon its Pioneer Career Achievement Award in 1993, earning him gigs at the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Chicago Blues Festival. Three years later, Alligator Records issued his W.C. Handy Comeback Album of the Year Award-winning concert LP, Wake Up and Live! Fine! Fine! Thing! followed on HighJohn in 2005, and despite failing health, Dixon teamed with fellow pianists Pinetop Perkins and Henry Clay for a brief tour in June 2006. He died of cancer weeks later at the age of 77.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
Discografia
19 album • Ordinato per Bestseller
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Wake Up And Live!
Soul - Pubblicato da Alligator Records il 21 mag 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
His Complete Aladdin Recordings
Blues - Pubblicato da Capitol Records il 19 mar 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Best of the Blues Years
Blues - Pubblicato da Master Classics Records il 1 giu 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Time Brings About a Change... a Floyd Dixon Celebration (Live)
Blues - Pubblicato da HighJohn Records il 21 nov 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Marshall Texas Is My Home
Blues - Pubblicato da Craft Recordings il 1 gen 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fine! Fine! Thing!
Blues - Pubblicato da HighJohn Records il 8 nov 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rhythm & Blues with Mr. Magnificent (Remastered)
R&B - Pubblicato da Master Tape Records il 17 lug 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Floyd Dixon Collection 1949-62
Soul - Pubblicato da ACROBAT il 10 ago 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mr. Magnificent
Blues - Pubblicato da Beth Montana il 12 apr 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Blues Nostalgia
Blues - Pubblicato da Music Manager il 10 ago 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Hey! Bartender - His Very Best, 1949-1959
Blues - Pubblicato da Jasmine Records il 8 apr 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cow Town Blues
Jazz - Pubblicato da Black Sheep Music il 6 dic 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Call Operator 210
Pop - Pubblicato da Black Sheep Music il 13 ago 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sad Journey Blues
Pop - Pubblicato da Black Sheep Music il 16 ago 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Floyd Dixon - Greatest Hits (Best Value Music)
Blues - Pubblicato da Best Value Music il 24 feb 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo