James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American

jump blues Jump blues is an up-tempo style of blues, usually played by small groups and featuring horn instruments. It was popular in the 1940s and was a precursor of rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Appreciation of jump blues was renewed in the 1990s as ...

singer.

Early life, family and education

Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, and his mother was an avid piano player. Witherspoon's grandson Ahkello Witherspoon is the starting cornerback for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

. Witherspoon eventually joined the Merchant Marines.

Career

Witherspoon first attracted attention singing in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, with Teddy Weatherford's band, which made regular radio broadcasts over the US Armed Forces Radio Service during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Witherspoon made his first records with

Jay McShann James Columbus "Jay" McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Walter Brown, and B ...

's band in 1945. He first recorded under his own name in 1947, and two years later with the McShann band, he had his first hit, "

Ain't Nobody's Business "Ain't Nobody's Business" (originally "Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness if I Do") is a 1920s blues song that became one of the first blues standards. It was published in 1922 by Porter Grainger and Everett Robbins. The song features a lyrical theme of ...

", a song that came to be regarded as his signature tune. In 1950 he had hits with two more songs closely identified with him—"No Rollin' Blues" and "Big Fine Girl"—and also hit with "Failing by Degrees" and "New Orleans Woman", recorded with the Gene Gilbeaux Orchestra (which included Herman Washington and Don Hill) for

Modern Records Modern Records (Modern Music Records before 1947) was an American record company and label formed in 1945 in Los Angeles by the Bihari brothers. Modern's artists included Etta James, Joe Houston, Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turner and John Lee ...

. They were recorded at a live performance on May 10, 1949, at a "Just Jazz" concert in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. ...

, sponsored by Gene Norman. Another classic Witherspoon composition is "Times Gettin' Tougher Than Tough". Witherspoon performed in four of the famed Cavalcade of Jazz concerts held in Los Angeles at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago ...

which were produced by Leon Hefflin Sr. His first performance was at the fourth Cavalcade of Jazz on September 12, 1948 and

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but a ...

was the featured artist along with

Frankie Lane Frankie Lane (20 July 1948 – 19 May 2011) was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He began his Football League career with Tranmere Rovers, before joining Liverpool, where he spent four years as reserve goalkeeper. He made only ...

, Little Miss Cornshucks, The Sweetheart of Rhythms, Joe Liggins's Honeydrippers, Joe Turner, The Blenders, and The Sensations. The program description stated that Witherspoon "is one of the most sought-after blues singers in the business. He has a strong, clear voice and diction that you would hear in the classics. Although he has been quite successful singing the blues, Witherspoon can sing ballads with a surprising sweetness." He played at the fifth Cavalcade of Jazz concert on July 10, 1949, along with

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles ...

, The Hamptones, Buddy Banks and his Orchestra,

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 bar ...

, and Smiley Turner. Witherspoon came back again for the seventh Cavalcade of Jazz concert on July 8, 1951 and performed alongside

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

and his Revue,

Percy Mayfield Percy Mayfield (August 12, 1920August 11, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues singer with a smooth vocal style. He also was a songwriter, known for the songs " Please Send Me Someone to Love" and "Hit the Road Jack", the latter being a song ...

, Joe Liggins's Honeydrippers, and Roy Brown. His last appearance at the eighth Cavalcade of Jazz concert was on June 1, 1952. Also featured that day were Anna Mae Winburn and Her Sweethearts,

Jerry Wallace Jerry Leon Wallace (December 15, 1928 – May 5, 2008) was an American country and pop singer. Between 1958 and 1964, Wallace charted nine hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, including the No. 8 " Primrose Lane" that was later used as the them ...

Toni Harper Toni Harper (born June 8, 1937 in Los Angeles, California), also known as Toni Dunlap, is an American former child singer who retired from performing at the age of 29. After learning dance under Maceo Anderson, Harper was cast by the choreograp ...

, Roy Brown and His Mighty Men,

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as " the King of the Jukebox", he earned his high ...

and his Orchestra, and

Josephine Baker Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...

. Witherspoon's style of blues—as a " blues shouter"—became unfashionable in the mid-1950s, but he returned to popularity with his 1959 album ''Jimmy Witherspoon at the

Monterey Jazz Festival The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jazz ...

'', which featured

Roy Eldridge David Roy Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989), nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from ...

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...

Earl Hines Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...

, and

Mel Lewis Melvin Sokoloff (May 10, 1929 – February 2, 1990), known professionally as Mel Lewis, was an American jazz drummer, session musician, professor, and author. He received fourteen Grammy Award nominations. Biography Early years Lewis was ...

. Witherspoon later recorded with

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

, Leroy Vinnegar,

Richard "Groove" Holmes Richard Arnold "Groove" Holmes (May 2, 1931 – June 29, 1991) was an American jazz organist who performed in the hard bop and soul jazz genre. He is best known for his 1965 recording of " Misty". Career Holmes's first album, on Pacific ...

, and

T-Bone Walker Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (May 28, 1910 – March 16, 1975) was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter and bandleader, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. In 2018 ''R ...

Tours and successes

In 1961 he toured Europe with

Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record "Confessin' That I Love You" ...

and returned to the UK on many occasions, featuring on a mid-'60s live UK recording, ''Spoon Sings and Swings'' (1966), with tenor sax player Dick Morrissey's quartet. In 1970, Witherspoon appeared on Brother Jack McDuff's London

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

recording '' To Seek a New Home'' together with British jazz musicians, including Dick Morrissey, again, and Terry Smith. In the 1970s Witherspoon also recorded the album '' Guilty!'' (later released on CD as ''Black & White Blues'') with

Eric Burdon Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer. He was previously the lead vocalist of R&B and rock band the Animals and funk band War. He is regarded as one of the British Invasion's most distinctive singers with his deep, pow ...

and featuring Ike White & the San Quentin Prison Band. He then toured with a band of his own featuring

Robben Ford Robben Lee Ford (born December 16, 1951) is an American blues, jazz, and rock guitarist. He was a member of the L.A. Express and Yellowjackets and has collaborated with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Larry Carlton, Rick Sprin ...

and Russ Ferrante. A recording from this period, ''Spoonful'', featured Witherspoon accompanied by

Joe Sample Joseph Leslie Sample (February 1, 1939 – September 12, 2014) was an American keyboardist and composer. He was one of the founding members of The Jazz Crusaders in 1960, the band which shortened its name to "The Crusaders" in 1971. He remained ...

Cornell Dupree Cornell Luther Dupree (December 19, 1942 – May 8, 2011) was an American jazz and R&B guitarist. He worked at various times with Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway, King Curtis and Steve Gadd, appeared on David Letterman,

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Biography Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan, U ...

, and

Bernard Purdie Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul and funk musician. He is known for his precise musical time keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie ...

. He continued performing and recording into the 1990s. Other performers with whom Witherspoon recorded include

Jimmy Rowles James George Hunter (August 19, 1918 – May 28, 1996), known professionally as Jimmy Rowles (sometimes spelled Jimmie Rowles), was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, and composer. As a bandleader and accompanist, he explored multiple styles in ...

, Earl "Fatha" Hines, Vernon Alley,

, Teddy Edwards, Gerald Wiggins, John Clayton,

Paul Humphrey Paul Nelson Humphrey (October 12, 1935 – January 31, 2014) was an American jazz and R&B drummer. Biography Humphrey was born in Detroit and began playing drums at age 8, taking private lessons in Detroit. In high school he played baritone hor ...

Pepper Adams Park Frederick "Pepper" Adams III (October 8, 1930 – September 10, 1986) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist and composer. He composed 42 pieces, was the leader on eighteen albums spanning 28 years, and participated in 600 sessions as a ...

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 ...

Harry "Sweets" Edison Harry "Sweets" Edison (October 10, 1915 – July 27, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. His most important contribution was as a Hollywood studio musician, whose muted trumpet can be heard bac ...

, Jimmy Smith,

Long John Baldry John William "Long John" Baldry (12 January 1941 – 21 July 2005) was an English musician and actor. In the 1960s, he was one of the first British vocalists to sing the blues in clubs and shared the stage with many British musicians including ...

Junior Mance Julian Clifford Mance, Jr. (October 10, 1928 – January 17, 2021), known as Junior Mance, was an American jazz pianist and composer. Biography Early life (1928–1947) Mance was born in Evanston, Illinois. When he was five years old, Mance st ...

Ellington Ellington may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Ellington, Cambridgeshire *Ellington, Northumberland * Ellington High and Low, a civil parish in North Yorkshire **High Ellington ** Low Ellington United States *Ellington Airport (Texas), Ho ...

bassist

Jimmy Woode James Bryant Woode (September 23, 1926 – April 23, 2005) was an American jazz bassist. He played and/or recorded in bands with Flip Phillips, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, Nat Pierce, Sidney ...

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride cymbal to keep time rather than the hi-ha ...

, Jim Mullen,

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

, Dutch Swing College Band, and Gene Gilbeaux.

Acting

In the 1995 film ''Georgia'', Witherspoon portrayed Trucker, a traveling, gun-collecting blues singer who has a relationship with the troubled character Sadie, played by

Jennifer Jason Leigh Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough as Stacy Hamilton in '' Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). Sh ...

. He played Nate Williams in ''

The Black Godfather ''The Black Godfather'' is a 1974 American blaxploitation film written and directed by John Evans and starring Rod Perry, Don Chastain, Diane Sommerfield and Jimmy Witherspoon. The plot is about J.J. (Rod Perry), a rising star in the black cr ...

'' (1974) and Percy in ''

To Sleep with Anger ''To Sleep with Anger'' is a 1990 American black comedy film written and directed by Charles Burnett. In 2017, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, h ...

'' (1990).

Personal life, death and legacy

Witherspoon died of

throat cancer Head and neck cancer develops from tissues in the lip and oral cavity (mouth), larynx (throat), salivary glands, nose, sinuses or the skin of the face. The most common types of head and neck cancers occur in the lip, mouth, and larynx. Symptoms ...

on September 18, 1997, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, California.

Discography

Albums

* ''Wilbur De Paris Plays & Jimmy Witherspoon Sings New Orleans Blues'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, 1957) * '' Goin' to Kansas City Blues'' with

(

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

, 1957 958 * ''Singin' the Blues'' ( World Pacific, 1958 959 * ''At the Monterey Jazz Festival'' (HiFi Jazz/

Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetic languages, Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is List of highest mountains on Earth, Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border ru ...

, 1959 960 * '' Feelin' the Spirit'' (HiFi Jazz/Everest, 1959) * ''At the Renaissance'' with

(HiFi Jazz/Everest, 1959 960 * ''Jimmy Witherspoon'' ( Crown, 1960) * ''Sings the Blues'' (Crown, 1960) * ''With

'' (Vogue K 1961) * ''Spoon'' (

Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repe ...

, 1961) * ''Hey, Mrs. Jones'' (Reprise, 1962) * ''Roots'' (Reprise, 1962) * '' Baby, Baby, Baby'' (

Prestige Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.) Prestige may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films * ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...

, 1963 964 * '' Evenin' Blues'' (Prestige, 1963 964 * '' Blues Around the Clock'' (Prestige, 1963 964 * ''

Blue Spoon ''Blue Spoon'' is an album by blues vocalist Jimmy Witherspoon which was recorded in 1964 and released on the Prestige label.965 Year 965 ( CMLXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Nikephoros II conquers the fortress cities of Ta ...

* '' Some of My Best Friends Are the Blues'' (Prestige, 1964

965 Year 965 ( CMLXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Nikephoros II conquers the fortress cities of Ta ...

* '' Spoon in London'' (Prestige, 1965

966 Year 966 ( CMLXVI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * 23 June - Byzantine-Arab War: A prisoner exchange occurs at the border betwee ...

* '' Blues for Easy Livers'' (Prestige, 1965

* ''Blues for Spoon and Groove'' with

(Surrey, 1965) * ''Jimmy Witherspoon in Person'' (Vogue K 1965) reissue of ''With Buck Clayton'' * ''Spoon Sings and Swings'' with Dick Morrissey (Fontana K 1966) * ''A Spoonful of Blues'' (

Ember An ember, also called a hot coal, is a hot lump of smouldering solid fuel, typically glowing, composed of greatly heated wood, coal, or other carbon-based material. Embers (hot coals) can exist within, remain after, or sometimes preced ...

, 1966) reissue of ''Jimmy Witherspoon'' * ''A Blue Point of View'' ( Verve, 1966) * ''The Blues is Now'' with

Jack McDuff Eugene McDuff (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff or "Captain" Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz ...

(Verve, 1967) * ''A Spoonful of Soul'' (Verve, 1968) * ''Live'' with Ben Webster (Stateside K 1968) * ''The Blues Singer'' (ABC/ Bluesway, 1969) * ''Hunh!'' (ABC/Bluesway 1970) * ''Handbags and Gladrags'' (ABC, 1971) * '' Guilty'' with

( MGM, 1971) * ''The Spoon Concerts'' (

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

LP 1972) reissues of ''At the Monterey Jazz Festival'' and ''At the Renaissance'' * ''Previously Unreleased Recordings'' with Ben Webster (Verve, 1973) * ''Love is a Five Letter Word'' ( Capitol, 1975) * ''Spoonful'' (

, 1975) * ''Live Jimmy Witherspoon &

'' (LAX/Avenue Jazz/ Rhino, 1977) * ''Live at the Watts Jazz Festival, Volume 1'' with Willie Bobo,

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and ...

(LAX/Avenue Jazz/Rhino, 1977) * ''Live in Paris'' with Buck Clayton (Jazz Vogue K 1977) * ''Sings The Blues'' ( Black & Blue, 1978) * ''Spoon's Life'' (Isabel, 1980) * ''Olympia Concert'' (

Inner City The term ''inner city'' has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Sociologists some ...

, 1980) reissue of ''Jimmy Witherspoon in Person'' * ''Big Blues'' ( JSP, 1981) * ''Sings the Blues with Panama Francis and the Savoy Sultans'' (

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in ...

, 1983) * ''Spoonful O' Blues'' (Kent, 1984) compilation * ''Patcha, Patcha, All Night Long'' with

Big Joe Turner Joseph Vernon "Big Joe" Turner Jr. (May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985) was an American singer from Kansas City, Missouri. According to songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." His greatest fame was due to ...

(

Pablo Pablo is a Spanish form of the name Paul. People *Pablo Alborán, Spanish singer *Pablo Aimar, Argentine footballer * Pablo Armero, Colombian footballer * Pablo Bartholomew, Indian photojournalist * Pablo Brandán, Argentine footballer * Pablo Br ...

, 1985) * '' Midnight Lady Called the Blues'' (Muse, 1986) * ''Never Knew This Kind of Hurt Before: The Bluesway Sessions'' ( Charly, 1988) compilation * ''Rockin' L.A.'' (Fantasy, 1989) * ''Live (At Condon's, New York)'' (

Who's Who in Jazz Who's Who in Jazz was a record label based in New York City, formed by Lionel Hampton in 1977 or 1978, and distributed by the Gillette Madison Company (GEMCON). It specialized in jazz albums and later CDs and released a half dozen recordings of ...

, 1990) * ''Spoon So Easy (The Chess Years)'' (

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

/MCA, 1990) compilation * ''Jay's Blues (The Complete Federal Sessions)'' (Charly R&B, 1991) compilation * ''Blowin' in from Kansas City'' (Flair/

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

, 1991) compilation * ''Call My Baby'' ( Night Train International, 1991) compilation * ''Live at the Notodden Blues Festival'' with Robben Ford (Blue Rock'it, 1992) * ''The Blues, the Whole Blues and Nothing But the Blues'' (Indigo, 1993) * ''Ain't Nobody's Business (The Blues Collection)'' (Orbis, 1992) compilation * ''Live at the Mint'' with Robben Ford (On The Spot/

Private Music Private Music was an American independent record label founded in 1984 by musician Peter Baumann as a "home for instrumental music". Baumann signed Ravi Shankar, Yanni, Suzanne Ciani, Andy Summers, Patrick O'Hearn, Leo Kottke, and his former ba ...

, 1994

996 Year 996 ( CMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * February - Chotoku Incident: Fujiwara no Korechika and Takaie shoot an arrow at Retired Emp ...

* ''Cold Blooded Boogie'' (Night Train International, 1995) compilation * ''Spoon's Blues'' ( Stony Plain, 1995) * ''Jimmy Witherspoon with the

Trio'' (Stony Plain, 1997) previously unreleased live recording from 1969 * ''Tougher Than Tough'' (Blue Moon, 1997) reissue of ''At the Renaissance'' * ''Jazz Me Blues: The Best of Jimmy Witherspoon'' (Prestige, 1998) compilation * ''Jimmy Witherspoon with the Duke Robillard Band'' (Stony Plain, 2000) * ''Spoon Meets Pao'' with

Eugene Pao Eugene Pao is a jazz guitarist Jazz guitarists are guitarists who play jazz using an approach to chords, melodies, and improvised solo lines which is called jazz guitar playing. The guitar has fulfilled the roles of accompanist (rhythm guitar) a ...

(Eastside, 2002) recorded 1990 * ''Urban Blues Singing Legend'' (JSP CD 2006) compilation * ''Live at the 1972 Monterey Jazz Festival'' with Robben Ford (Monterey Jazz Festival/

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

, 2008)

Chart singles

DVDs

* 2003: ''20th Century Jazz Masters: Mel Tormé/Jimmy Witherspoon/Carmen McRae/Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan'' * 2003: ''Jazz Casual: Jimmy Witherspoon, Jimmy Rushing'' * 2009: ''Jimmy Witherspoon: Goin' Down Blues''

Filmography

* 2000: ''Jazz Casual: Jimmy Witherspoon & Ben Webster'' (Jazz Casual/Idem) * 2009: ''Jimmy Witherspoon: Goin' Down Blues'' with

Marshal Royal Marshal Walton Royal Jr. (December 5, 1912 – May 8, 1995) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and clarinetist best known for his work with Count Basie, with whose band he played for nearly twenty years. Early life and education Marshal Roya ...

and John Collins

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Witherspoon, Jimmy 1920 births 1997 deaths American blues singers Modern Records artists Private Music artists Kent Records artists RCA Victor artists Singers from Arkansas People from Clark County, Arkansas Muse Records artists Prestige Records artists Deaths from esophageal cancer Deaths from cancer in California Urban blues musicians Jump blues musicians Jazz-blues musicians Checker Records artists Blues musicians from Arkansas American male jazz musicians JSP Records artists 20th-century African-American male singers