Today we celebrate the birthdays of two of the most influential blues artists of all time, one for his artistry with his instrument and the other, while a good musician, for his influential songwriting! The first is blues harpist James Cotton born on this date in 1935 and the second the legendary Willie Dixon (July 1, 1915 – January 29, 1992)! Now some of you may not remember or know Willie Dixon, but he was an unbelievably good songwriter and his compositions include: “Little Red Rooster”, “Hoochie Coochie Man”, “Spoonful”, “Back Door Man”, “I Just Want to Make Love to You”, “My Babe”, “Wang Dang Doodle”, and “I Can’t Quit You Baby”…a few of the artist who recorded his music includes: Bob Dylan, Cream, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and The Rolling Stones not bad, eh? From Wikipedia:
William James “Willie” Dixon (July 1, 1915 – January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer.[1] A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the upright bass and the guitar and as a vocalist, Dixon is perhaps best known as one of the most prolific songwriters of his time. Next to Muddy Waters, Dixon is recognized as the most influential person in shaping the post-World War II sound of the Chicago blues. Full Biography
Here’s a link to a partial list of the Songs of Willie Dixon and the artists who recorded them!
So here’s some lunchtime music from the man himself and a 1989 performance of “Spoonful” on Saturday Night Live, check out the harmonica from that John Sebastian! So Happy Birthday Willie and James Cotton! Oh, by the way James is still making great music, so check out his latest release Cottonmouth Man
