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 - Erschienen bei Avenue records am 01.01.1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Evenin' Blues
Blues - Erschienen bei Original Blues Classics am 15.08.1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Concerts
Jazz - Erschienen bei Fantasy Records am 12.05.2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blues For Easy Livers
Blues - Erschienen bei Fantasy am 30.11.1964
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Urban Blues Singing Legend 1951-1953
Blues - Erschienen bei JSP am 28.11.2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Urban Blues Singing Legend 1949-1951
Blues - Erschienen bei JSP am 28.11.2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Urban Blues Singing Legend 1947-1948
Blues - Erschienen bei JSP am 28.11.2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blues Around The Clock (Remastered)
Blues - Erschienen bei Original Blues Classics am 05.11.1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blue Spoon/Spoon In London
Blues - Erschienen bei Original Blues Classics am 01.01.1964
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jimmy Witherspoon & Robben Ford (Live at the Ash Grove, 1976)
Jimmy Witherspoon, Robben Ford
Blues - Erschienen bei Avenue records am 01.01.1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Singin' The Blues
Jazz - Erschienen bei Blue Note Records am 01.01.1959
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Anthology (Original Recordings)
Jazz - Erschienen bei Miradas Records am 26.09.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Witherspoon & Lloyd
Jimmy Witherspoon, Charles Lloyd
R&B - Erschienen bei Good Time Records am 25.11.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jimmy Witherspoon
Jazz - Erschienen bei 1201 MUSIC am 01.01.1959
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spoon's Life (Blues Power)
Blues - Erschienen bei Isabel Records am 01.01.1980
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jimmy Witherspoon & Panama Francis' Savoy Sultans (The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions)
Jazz - Erschienen bei Disques Black & Blue am 01.01.2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Me Blues: The Best Of Jimmy Witherspoon
Blues - Erschienen bei Prestige am 01.01.1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
With The Duke Robillard Band
Blues - Erschienen bei Stony Plain Records am 12.01.2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jimmy Witherspoon: Roots
Jazz - Erschienen bei Blue Velvet am 28.09.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Baby, Baby, Baby
Blues - Erschienen bei Original Blues Classics am 06.03.1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Soledad Blues
Eric Burdon, Jimmy Witherspoon
Blues - Erschienen bei Vanilla OMP am 26.04.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo