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
-
Black & White Blues
Jimmy Witherspoon, Eric Burdon
Blues - Pubblicato da Avenue records il 1 gen 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Evenin' Blues
Blues - Pubblicato da Original Blues Classics il 15 ago 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Concerts
Jazz - Pubblicato da Fantasy Records il 12 mag 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blues For Easy Livers
Blues - Pubblicato da Fantasy il 30 nov 1964
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Urban Blues Singing Legend 1951-1953
Blues - Pubblicato da JSP il 28 nov 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Urban Blues Singing Legend 1949-1951
Blues - Pubblicato da JSP il 28 nov 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Urban Blues Singing Legend 1947-1948
Blues - Pubblicato da JSP il 28 nov 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blues Around The Clock (Remastered)
Blues - Pubblicato da Original Blues Classics il 5 nov 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blue Spoon/Spoon In London
Blues - Pubblicato da Original Blues Classics il 1 gen 1964
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jimmy Witherspoon & Robben Ford (Live at the Ash Grove, 1976)
Jimmy Witherspoon, Robben Ford
Blues - Pubblicato da Avenue records il 1 gen 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Singin' The Blues
Jazz - Pubblicato da Blue Note Records il 1 gen 1959
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Anthology (Original Recordings)
Jazz - Pubblicato da Miradas Records il 26 set 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Witherspoon & Lloyd
Jimmy Witherspoon, Charles Lloyd
R&B - Pubblicato da Good Time Records il 25 nov 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Spoon's Life (Blues Power)
Blues - Pubblicato da Isabel Records il 1 gen 1980
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jimmy Witherspoon & Panama Francis' Savoy Sultans (The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions)
Jazz - Pubblicato da Disques Black & Blue il 1 gen 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Me Blues: The Best Of Jimmy Witherspoon
Blues - Pubblicato da Prestige il 1 gen 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
With The Duke Robillard Band
Blues - Pubblicato da Stony Plain Records il 12 gen 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jimmy Witherspoon: Roots
Jazz - Pubblicato da Blue Velvet il 28 set 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Baby, Baby, Baby
Blues - Pubblicato da Original Blues Classics il 6 mar 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Soledad Blues
Eric Burdon, Jimmy Witherspoon
Blues - Pubblicato da Vanilla OMP il 26 apr 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo