Willie Mabon
The sly, insinuating vocals and chunky piano style of Willie Mabon won the heart of many an R&B fan during the early '50s. His salty Chess waxings "I Don't Know," "I'm Mad," and "Poison Ivy" established the pianist as a genuine Chicago blues force, but he faded as an R&B hitmaker at the dawn of rock & roll. Mabon was already well-grounded in blues tradition from his Memphis upbringing when he hit Chicago in 1942. Schooled in jazz as well as blues, Mabon found the latter his ticket to stardom. His first sides were a 1949 78 for Apollo as Big Willie and some 1950 outings for Aristocrat and Chess with guitarist Earl Dranes as the Blues Rockers.
But Mabon's asking price for a night's work rose dramatically when his 1952 debut release on powerful Windy City DJ Al Benson's Parrot logo, "I Don't Know," topped the R&B charts for eight weeks after being sold to Chess. From then on, Mabon was a Chess artist, returning to the top R&B slot the next year with the ominous "I'm Mad" and cracking the Top Ten anew with the Mel London-penned "Poison Ivy" in 1954. Throughout his Chess tenure, piano and sax were consistently to the fore rather than guitar and harp, emphasizing Mabon's cool R&B approach. His original version of Willie Dixon's hoodoo-driven "The Seventh Son" bombed in 1955, as did the remainder of his fine Chess catalog. Mabon never regained his momentum after leaving Chess. He stopped at Federal in 1957, Mad in 1960, Formal in 1962 (where he stirred up some local sales with his leering "Got to Have Some"), and USA in 1963-1964. Mabon sat out much of the late '60s but came back strong after moving to Paris in 1972, recording and touring Europe prolifically until his death.
© Bill Dahl /TiVo
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Presenting Willie Mabon
R&B - Released by Universal Digital Enterprises on 3 dec. 1954
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Shake That Thing (Blues Reference (Recorded in France & Netherlands 1973))
Blues - Released by Disques Black & Blue on 1 jan. 1975
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classics: 1949-1954
Blues - Released by Classics Blues & Rhythm Series on 4 aug. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I'm the Fixer - The Best of the USA Records Sessions
Blues - Released by Usa Records on 14 apr. 1963
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Willie's Blues - The Greatest Hits 1952 - 1957
Blues - Released by Jasmine Records on 24 nov. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
His Golden Years (Remastered)
R&B - Released by Master Tape Records on 14 aug. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cold Chilly Woman (1972)
Blues - Released by Disques Black & Blue on 1 jan. 1973
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Legendary Bop, Rhythm & Blues Classics: Willie Mabon (Digitally Remastered) - Single
Blues - Released by Essential Media Group on 16 mrt. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Losing Boy / Some More
Soul - Released by Paula Records on 7 nov. 1965
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wow I Feel so Good / Poison Ivy (Remastered)
Blues - Released by MOJO WORKING on 12 jan. 1959
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Essential Blues Masters
Blues - Released by Magic Gold Records on 20 jan. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
New Orleans Blues
Blues - Released by Usa Records on 24 jul. 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ruby's Monkey / I'm Hongry
Blues - Released by Usa Records on 24 jul. 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Essential Blues
Blues - Released by Play Digital on 30 jun. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I'm the Fixer / Too Hot to Handle
Blues - Released by Usa Records on 24 jul. 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Just Got Some / That's No Big Thing
Soul - Released by Usa Records on 24 jul. 1965
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Worry Blues / I Don't Know (Digital 45)
Blues - Released by Essential Media Group on 16 mrt. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -