Gary Allen Wiggins, known as "Detroit" Gary Wiggins (November 10, 1952 – November 22, 2020) was an American musician.

Biography

Born in

Inkster, Michigan Inkster is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2010 census, the city population was 25,369. History The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans. It was settled by non-indigenous people in 1825. A post offi ...

, United States, while he was still an infant his family moved to the west side of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, on Oregon Street, where he was raised. His late mother, Ruth Russell Wiggins (1920-1999), reared him in the church where he began to perform on the saxophone with Brother Lawhorn in 1962. He attended Northwestern High School until 1970, and played in a jazz band while attending community college. At age 14, he played in Bobo Jenkins Blues Band, in Detroit. Wiggins made his first recorded release "That Good Old Funky Feeling" on 45rpm at the age of 17 with his band, The Impacs. The Impacs were a backing band for several of the Detroit R&B vocal groups such as

the Dramatics The Dramatics are an American soul music vocal group, formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1964. They are best known for their 1970s hit songs " In the Rain" and "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get", both of which were Top 10 Pop hits, as well as their late ...

. After touring with the Dramatics and performing in such places as the

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

in Harlem, the T.P. Warner Theater in Washington D.C. and tours through Panama, and the eastern coast of North America, he headed west and camped in California for five years. During this time he performed with musicians such as

Eddie Shaw Eddie Shaw (March 20, 1937 – January 29, 2018) was an American Chicago blues tenor saxophonist, arranger and bandleader. He led Howlin' Wolf's band, the Wolf Gang, from 1972, both before Wolf's death in 1976 and subsequently. Biography ...

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (born Edward L. Vinson Jr.; December 18, 1917 – July 2, 1988) was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed Cleanhead after an incident in which his hair was ...

Johnny Heartsman John Leroy "Johnny" Heartsman (February 9, 1936 – December 27, 1996) was an American electric blues and soul blues musician and songwriter. He showed musical diversity, playing a number of musical instruments, including the electronic organ an ...

, Roy Brown,

Big Mama Thornton Willie Mae Thornton (December 11, 1926 – July 25, 1984), better known as Big Mama Thornton, was an American singer and songwriter of the blues and R&B genres. She was the first to record Leiber and Stoller's " Hound Dog", in 1952, which becam ...

, and many other musicians on the West Coast music scene. In 1982, he spent a year in the Chicago blues scene where he played in the bands of the late

Lefty Dizz Lefty Dizz (April 29, 1937 – September 7, 1993) was an American Chicago blues guitarist and singer whose recorded work was released on eight albums. As well as fronting his own band, he worked with Junior Wells, J. B. Lenoir and Hound Dog Ta ...

Sunnyland Slim Albert Luandrew (September 5, 1906March 17, 1995), "Blues pianist and singer Sunnyland Slim was born Albert Luandrew in Vance, Mississippi, September 5, 1906 (most sources say 1907, but the Social Security Death Index and 1920 census data give t ...

Johnny Littlejohn John Wesley Funchess (April 16, 1931 – February 1, 1994) known professionally as John (or Johnny) Littlejohn, was an American electric blues slide guitarist. He was active on the Chicago blues circuit from the 1950s to the 1980s. Biography ...

and

Sugar Blue Sugar Blue (born James Joshua "Jimmie" Whiting, December 16, 1949, Harlem, New York City) is an American blues harmonica player. He is probably best known for playing on the Rolling Stones' single " Miss You", and in partnering Louisiana Red. T ...

. and they released three vinyls. Since moving to Europe in 1983 and in addition to producing several music concerts for Jazz Clubs and Festivals, he has toured with

Charlie Musselwhite Charles Douglas Musselwhite (born January 31, 1944) is an American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader, one of the white bluesmen who came to prominence, along with Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, and Elvin Bishop, as a pivotal f ...

Arnett Cobb Arnett Cleophus Cobb (August 10, 1918 – March 24, 1989)
accessed July 2010. was an American tenor saxophonist, somet ...

Screaming Jay Hawkins Jalacy J. "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins (July 18, 1929 – February 12, 2000) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, film producer, and boxer. Famed chiefly for his powerful, operatic vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of s ...

Jimmy Rogers Jimmy Rogers (June 3, 1924December 19, 1997) was an American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, best known for his work as a member of Muddy Waters's band in the early 1950s. He also had a solo career and recorded several popu ...

Johnny Copeland John Clyde Copeland (March 27, 1937 – July 3, 1997) was an American Texas blues guitarist and singer. In 1983, he was named Blues Entertainer of the Year by the Blues Foundation. He is the father of blues singer Shemekia Copeland. In 2017, Cop ...

Big Jay McNeely Cecil James "Big Jay" McNeely (April 29, 1927 – September 16, 2018) was an American rhythm and blues saxophonist. Biography Inspired by Illinois Jacquet and Lester Young, McNeely teamed with his older brother Robert McNeely, who played barito ...

(Saxomania Tour, Europe),

Katie Webster Katie Webster (January 11, 1936 – September 5, 1999), born Kathryn Jewel Thorne, was an American boogie-woogie pianist. Career Webster was initially best known as a session musician behind Louisiana musicians on the Excello and Goldband reco ...

, Scott Hamilton,

Louisiana Red Iverson Minter (March 23, 1932 – February 25, 2012), known as Louisiana Red, was an American blues guitarist, harmonica player, and singer, who recorded more than 50 albums. He was best known for his song "Sweet Blood Call". Biography Born ...

and

Carey Bell Carey Bell Harrington (November 14, 1936 – May 6, 2007) was an American blues musician who played harmonica in the Chicago blues style. Bell played harmonica and bass guitar for other blues musicians from the late 1950s to the early 1970s bef ...

. He joined the

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

show in Germany twice, and went to Japan. In Osnabrueck, Germany, Rannenberg and Wiggins founded the Pink Piano Jam Sessions (where Arnett Cobb's last performance was recorded) and, after moving to Berlin, he continued inviting international stars to the Berlin Blues Café. Wiggins played in the

A-Trane The A-Trane is a jazz club in Berlin, Germany. Overview The A-Trane was opened in late 1992. It is located in Berlin-Charlottenburg at Bleibtreustrasse 1 where its doors open every night at 9 pm. Uncounted locally and internationally renowned mus ...

International Jazz Club Berlin - that announced him as "one of the most important american Saxophonists living in Europe", – for more than 20 years, as well as Europe's oldest jazz club in Paris Le Caveau de las Huchette. The International Blues Duo produced and released three albums, and Wiggins has recorded with, among others,

Bobby McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...

Robert Covington Robert Covington (born December 14, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). he played college basketball for the Tennessee State Tigers. In 2018, he was named ...

, and

Roy Gaines Roy James Gaines (August 12, 1937 – August 11, 2021) was an American Texas blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He wrote and recorded the song "A Hell of a Night", which was first issued on his 1982 album ''Gainelining''. ...

. Wiggins won the Berlin Jazz & Blues Award in 2002 and the German Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik 1994 for ''Acoustic Soul'', as well as appearing on ''

the Gong Show ''The Gong Show'' is an American amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976, through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976 to 1 ...

'' in 1977 with Rick Murphy and David Winans as The Show Bizz Kids. In his latter years he started acrylic painting and undertook several art projects. Wiggins died on November 22, 2020n in

Bissingen an der Teck Bissingen is a municipality in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Geographical location Bissingen lies at the foot of the Swabian Jura, the district Ochsenwang on the Alb plateau. The municipality covers an a ...

, South Germany, at the age of 68.

Discography

* ''Introducing The International Blues Duo To The World'' (1984) * The International Blues Duo Meets Blues Wire - ''Truly International'' (1987 / 2014) * Bobby McFerrin feat. Detroit Gary Wiggins: ''Bobby's Thing'' and ''Lady Fair'' (1988) * ''The International Blues Duo Featuring Katie Webster'' (1989) * ''Time For Saxin’'' (1990) * Detroit Gary Wiggins & C.C. the Boogieman: ''Acoustic Soul'' (1992) * ''I Got Up'' (1996) * Fabrice Eulry & Detroit Gary Wiggins: ''Paris Jook'' (1996) * ''Ballads in a Diplomatic Lounge'' (2004) * ''Zeitlos'' (2005) * ''Saxin’ the Blues'' (2011) As a side-person * Lefty Dizz & Shock Treatment: ''Live in Chicago'' (1982/2008) * Klaus Lage: ''Schweissperlen'' (1985) * Johnny Heartsman: ''Sacramento'' (1987) * Roy Gaines: ''Going Home to See Mama'' (1987) * Angela Brown: ''Live'' (1993) * The Gospel Messengers: ''Lean on Me'' (1996) * EB Davis: ''Fool for the Ladies'' (1996) with Big Jay Mc Neely * Siggy Davis: ''Live'' (2013) * Jimmie Smith: ''Timemension'' (1983) * The Cat - several albums * Errol Dixon: ''Mr. Boogie Woogie'' * Robert Covington: ''The Golden Voice of Robert Covington'' (1987) * The Dramatics: ''What You See is What You Get'' (1972) * Jimmy Scott: ''A Pair and a Spair'' (1973) * Cindy Rickmond: ''New Ideas'' (1990)

References

External links

Detroit Gary Wiggins - Artist's Website

Website ''The International Blues Duo''

Gary Wiggins
at the Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians at Jazz.com * * * Detroit Gary Wiggin

at the archives of

Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...

, Frankfurt a. Main, Germany
Detroit Gary Wiggins
at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

, Washington
Detroit Gary Wiggins
at the "Blues Archive of The

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

Digital Collections", Oxford, USA
Detroit Gary Wiggins
at the

Bibliothèque Nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...

, Paris, France
Detroit Gary Wiggins
NUKAT, Union Catalog of Polish Research Libraries, Warsaw, Poland
Detroit Gary Wiggins
at SLUB, Sächsische Landesbibliothek - Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden, Germany
The DGW Interview from 2002.
* Blues Blues Photograph Collection
The Blues Archive University of Mississippi Digital Collections

from US Press, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany * Chicago Reader
The Golden Voice of Richard Covington - with "Detroit Gary Wiggins"
* Ingrid Montgomery-Swinton
''Go Red Go, Blow Arnett Blow: The life of Arnett Cobb''
Ingrid Montgomery-Swinton, Lizette Cobb, p. 3
Gary Wiggins at Berlin Dialogues
- ''CES Center for European Studies Harvard University'', Berlin
Arnett Cobbs Last Recorded Concert at the ''Pink Piano'' with Gary Wiggins
and
Spoken Word by Arnett Cobb

''The Pink Piano'' Osnabrueck 1986.

Uwe Manzke: Blues in Deutschland
Bluessource.com * Verlagsgruppe Rhein Main GmbH & Co. KG

- Allgemeine Zeitung. * Wolfgang Peter

* Gary a
''Caveau de La Huchette'', Paris

Detroit Gary Wiggins discography at All About Jazz
* Dany Doriz, Christian Mars
60 Ans de jazz au Caveau de la Huchette
Hrsg.: Cabu. L'Archipel, Paris 2008, , S. 86–87. * Interview "Detroit" Gary Wiggins b
Frau Julie Bennett Hume's Podcast
Berlin, 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiggins, Gary Allen 1952 births Living people African-American jazz musicians American blues singers American funk saxophonists American male saxophonists American jazz soprano saxophonists American rhythm and blues musicians American soul musicians Chicago blues musicians Detroit blues musicians Jazz-blues saxophonists Members of the Church of God in Christ Musicians from Chicago Singers from Detroit 21st-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from Illinois Jazz musicians from Michigan 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians