Willie Dixon

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Willie Dixon 1979 in Cary, Illinois

Willie Dixon (born July 1, 1915 as William James Dixon in Vicksburg , Mississippi , † January 29, 1992 in Burbank , California ) was one of the most important American blues musicians ( vocals , bass , songwriter and producer ).

life and work

Dixon has the development of Chicago - Blues coined in the 1950s and 1960s critical. As a studio musician and house bass player with Chess Records , he can be heard on numerous recordings. As the bassist for Chuck Berry , he also contributed to the triumph of rock'n'roll. Dixon also worked as a songwriter and producer for the Chicago blues label Chess Records and Checker Records . He wrote many of the most important blues songs such as Hoochie Coochie Man , Evil or Back Door Man , which were best known in the interpretations of Muddy Waters and Howlin 'Wolf . But many other blues legends also picked up his songs.

His compositions became known to a wide audience when, in the 1960s, British rock bands recorded a number of Willie Dixon's tracks, for example the Rolling Stones (Little Red Rooster), Cream and Ten Years After (Spoonful), Led Zeppelin ( I Can't Quit You Baby ). Even Elvis Presley , Grateful Dead , Jimi Hendrix , The Doors and many later bands like the Black Crowes interpreted his songs (the list of these bands is long and significant). Willie Dixon had a certain right to say of himself: "I Am the Blues". At the same time, he is considered one of the most important cornerstones in rock history.

At the end of the 1960s, he returned to his own career and put on various accompanying groups (Chicago Blues Allstars) with whom he went on tour.

In 1989 Dixon published an autobiography called I am the Blues . An impressive highlight of his musical career came out in 1988: Hidden Charms (with the pieces: Blues You Can't Loose, I Don't Trust Myself, Jungle Swing, Don't Mess with the Messer, Study War No More, I Love the Life I Live, I Cry For You, Good Advice, I Do the Job) . In 1980 he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame of the Blues Foundation .

On January 29, 1992, Willie Dixon died of heart failure at the age of 76. In 2010 his song Spoonful , interpreted by Howlin 'Wolf, was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame (Classic of Blues Recording). In 2015, Rolling Stone listed Dixon 51st of the 100 best songwriters of all time .

Discography

year title Label number comment
1959 Willie's blues Bluesville BVLP-1003 with Memphis Slim
1960 The Blues Every Which Way verve MGV-3007 with Memphis Slim
1960 Songs of Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon Folkways FW-2385 with Memphis Slim
1962 Memphis Slim & Willie Dixon at the Village Gate Folkways FA-2386 live, with Pete Seeger
1963 In Paris: Baby Please Come Home! Battle BM-6122 with Memphis Slim, 1962
1965 American folk blues Amiga 8 50 043 with Hubert Sumlin, Clifton James, Sunnyland Slim, November 1, 1964
1969 Loaded with the blues MPS 15 244 ST with the Chicago Blues Allstars
1970 I am the blues Columbia PC-9987 with the Chicago All-Stars
1971 Willie Dixon's Peace? Yambo 777-15 with the Chicago Blues All Stars
1973 Catalyst ovation OVQD-1433 quadrophonic long-playing record
1976 What Happened to My Blues ovation OV-1705
1983 Mighty Earthquake and Hurricane Pausa Records PR-7157
1985 Willie Dixon: Live (Backstage Access) Break PR-7183 with Sugar Blue and Clifton James, Montreux 1985
1988 The Chess Box Chess Records
1988 Hidden charms Bug C1-90593 Grammy 1989
1989 Ginger Ale Afternoon Varèse Sarabande VSD-5234 Soundtrack
1990 The Big Three Trio Legacy C-46216 from 1947–1952
1995 The Original Wang Dang Doodle: The Chess Recordings MCA 9353 Compilation from 1954–1990
1996 Crying the Blues: Live in Concert Thunderbolt CDTB-166 live with Johnny Winter & the Chicago All Stars, Houston 1971
1998 Good advice wolf 120,700 live with The Chicago All Stars, Long Beach 1991
1998 I think I got the blues Prevue 17th
2001 Big Boss Men - Blues Legends of the Sixties Indigo (UK) IGOXCD543 live, Houston 1971-72 (6 tracks)

Selection of songs that Willie Dixon played bass on

Willie Dixon also worked as a session musician for Chess Records. He played the double bass on many legendary recordings. It wasn't until the mid-1950s that the electric bass came to Chicago that he stopped working as a studio musician.

Interpretations of popular songs by Willie Dixon

The following list includes both cover versions and first releases and does not claim to be complete.

"Gone Daddy Gone" - Violent Femmes ; contains elements from "I Just Want to Make Love to You"; it was later covered by Gnarls Barkley
"Whole Lotta Love" - Led Zeppelin . Without a copyright notice, the song contains essential parts of Dixon's "You Need Love". Dixon and his publisher received royalties after a 1985 lawsuit that resulted in an out-of-court settlement.

Others

In the 2008 film Cadillac Records , Willie Dixon is portrayed by Cedric the Entertainer . His sons Butch and Freddie Dixon are also blues musicians.

Web links

Bibliography

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 2010 Blues Hall of Fame ( Memento from May 20, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ The 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. Rolling Stone , August 2015, accessed August 7, 2017 .
  3. ^ Willie Dixon: I am the Blues, Quartet Books 1989, p. 251.
personal data
SURNAME Dixon, Willie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dixon, William James (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American blues musician
DATE OF BIRTH July 1, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Vicksburg , Mississippi
DATE OF DEATH January 29, 1992
Place of death Burbank , California