Jimmy Nelson
Jimmy "Mr. T99" Nelson (born April 17, 1919 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , † July 29, 2007 in Houston , Texas ) was an American blues singer and composer whose musical career spanned over half a century.
biography
In 1941 Nelson saw a performance by Big Joe Turner in Oakland , California , whereupon he also wanted to be a blues singer. Big Joe gave him the first lessons, and Nelson adopted his mentor's style .
Between 1951 and 1961 Nelson released eight singles on various subsidiary labels of Modern Records . The most successful was the "T-99 Blues" (1951), a piece on the Texan Highway 99; after this hit Nelson got his nickname.
Nelson went on tour with Joe Liggins and Roy Milton and played in well-known music theaters such as the Apollo and the Howard Theater. He brought out singles with various record companies.
In 1955 Nelson married and settled in Houston , Texas . He continued to write songs and played in various bands, but only as a part-time job.
In 1981 Ace Records (UK) released an album with his previous singles and brought Nelson a comeback . He went on tour again and made new recordings. His album Rockin 'and Shoutin' the Blues (1999) was nominated for two Handy Awards .
Jimmy Nelson died of cancer in Houston in 2007.
Discography
- Rockin 'Shoutin' the Blues (Bullseye Blues & Jazz, 1999)
- Take Your Pick (Nettie Marie, 2002)
- The Legend (Nettie Marie, 2005)
Compilations
- Jimmy "Mr. T99" Nelson (Ace, 1981)
- Sweet Sugar Daddy (P-Vine, 1988)
- Cry Hard Luck: The RPM and Kent Recordings 1951-61 (Ace, 2003)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Biographical data of Jimmy Nelson in: The big book of blues: a biographical encyclopedia , by Robert Santelli, Penguin Books, 2001, p. 356
- ^ Text accompanying "Rockin 'and Shoutin' the Blues" by Roger Wood
- ↑ WC Handy Blues Awards of the year 2000 ( Memento of the original from April 23, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ eJazzNews obituary for Jimmy T99 Nelson ( memento of the original from January 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Nelson, Jimmy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mr. T99 (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American blues singer and composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 17, 1919 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Philadelphia , Pennsylvania |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 29, 2007 |
| Place of death | Houston , Texas |