Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon (born August 8, 1923 in Gurdon , Arkansas , † September 18, 1997 in Los Angeles , California ), actually James Witherspoon , simply called Spoon by his fans , was an American blues and jazz singer. In the course of his career he is said to have been involved in over 200 albums. His hits include Blues Around the Clock , Some of My Best Friends are the Blues, and Blue Spoon .
Life
Witherspoon first attracted attention as the singer in Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta , India , which was regularly heard on radio broadcasts for the US Army during World War II .
In 1945 Witherspoon made his first recordings with Jay McShann's band . His first hit under his own name, Ain't Nobody's Business , which he recorded with McShann's band, hit the R&B charts in 1949 . The hits No Rollin 'Blues and Big Fine Girl followed in 1950 . In the mid-1950s, the success waned, but the album Jimmy Witherspoon at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1959 was enthusiastically received.
Witherspoon recorded and performed with many greats in blues and jazz, including Ben Webster , Eric Burdon , Van Morrison , Count Basie , Alexis Korner , Earl Hines , Robben Ford , Bonnie Raitt and T-Bone Walker . He has also appeared in a number of cinema and TV films, e.g. B. Georgia with Jennifer Jason Leigh and The Big Easy .
Witherspoon was diagnosed with cancer in the 1980s. After an operation, he recovered and returned to the stage. In 1997, he received a Grammy nomination for the album Live At The Mint .
Jimmy Witherspoon died in 1997 at the age of 74. In 2008 he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame .
Discography
Albums
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Video albums
- 2003 20th Century Jazz Masters: Mel Torme / Jimmy Witherspoon / Carmen McRae / Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan
- 2003 Jimmy Rushing / Jimmy Witherspoon Jazz Casual
- 2009 Goin 'Down Blues
literature
- Ian Carr , Digby Fairweather , Brian Priestley : Rough Guide Jazz. The ultimate guide to jazz. 1800 bands and artists from the beginning until today. 2nd, expanded and updated edition. Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2004, ISBN 3-476-01892-X .
swell
- ↑ Unlike in the jazz lexicons (e.g. Reclams Jazzführer or Rough Guide Jazz ) and AllAboutJazz ( memento of the original from March 16, 2010 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. the year of birth 1920 is also given in some internet sources.
- ↑ Discography compiled from AMG, Amazon, CD Universe
Web links
- Jimmy Witherspoon obituary and biography (English)
- Jimmy Witherspoon at Discogs (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Witherspoon, Jimmy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Witherspoon, James; Spoon |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American blues and jazz singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 8, 1923 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Gurdon , Arkansas |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 18, 1997 |
| Place of death | Los Angeles , California |