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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Jazz After Midnight (feat. Jazz After Midnight)
Jazz - Lançado por Silver Classics Jazz em 05/11/2014
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Jimmy Witherspoon at Monterey (Remastered)
Jazz - Lançado por Avid Entertainment em 09/03/2014
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Jimmy & Louis Play the Blues
Jimmy Witherspoon, Louis Jordan
Blues - Lançado por Orange Leisure em 05/04/2010
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Jazz Box (The Jazz Series)
Jazz - Lançado por Two Bass Hits em 26/09/2014
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All Blues, Jimmy Witherspoon
Blues - Lançado por LucasRecords em 09/11/1997
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Spoon sings the blues (1946-1950)
Blues - Lançado por EPM em 05/02/2002
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Goin' to Kansas City Blues
Jimmy Witherspoon, Jay McShann And His Band
Jazz - Lançado por Music Manager em 31/08/2020
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It's None Of Your Business
Jazz - Lançado por Reminisce Music em 29/05/2023
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Live at the Renaissance 1960
Soul - Lançado por Good Time Records em 16/06/2023
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Move Me Baby! Greatest Hits and More (1947-1955)
Blues - Lançado por Jasmine Records em 06/11/2020
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Just at the Turn of the Tide
Jazz - Lançado por turn of the tide em 07/04/2023
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Wonderful World
Blues - Lançado por again eap em 07/10/2020
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Jimmy Witherspoon: Goin' to Kansas City Blues with Jay McShann and his Band
Jazz - Lançado por Blue Velvet em 12/07/2017
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Hey Mrs. Jones
World - Lançado por TP4 Music em 06/01/2023
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Rain, Rain, Rain
Blues - Lançado por Vintage Jukebox em 26/01/2024
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Call My Baby
Blues - Lançado por Night Train International em 12/02/1991
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With The Junior Mance Trio
Blues - Lançado por Stony Plain Records em 08/04/1997
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Blues Horns
Bill Doggett, Jimmy Witherspoon, Lonnie Johnson
Blues - Lançado por Music Manager em 05/08/2015
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Numero Uno Blues
Jazz - Lançado por Excess Music em 29/05/2020
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