WILLIE DIXON
I guess it's no use to present Willie Dixon (1915-1992) to most of this blog's followers who are, for the most part, hardcore blues buffs!
Singer and bassist, sometimes guitarist, Willie is above all renown for being the composer, producer and arranger of some of the most brilliant blues classic tunes and sessions of the postwar years. And his compositions can be read like a who's who of the greatest blues numbers ever when sung and played by Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Otis Rush, Koko Taylor etc...
As a performer, Willie was very often a little bit too much sententious and corny. His deep voice could be particularly striking sometimes but seemed without enough range otherwise.
Well, this is certainly not to belittle the greatness of some Willie Dixon's albums, particularly during the 1970's, like Peace?, Catalyst or Earthquake and hurricane which should be in all blues collections. Or the excellent albums he made with his Chicago Blues All Stars that gathered blues giants like Big Walter Horton, Johnny Shines, Sunnyland Slim...
In fact, Willie started his career with Leonard Caston's Big Three Trio, a group of guitar, piano and bass with shared singing parts. They recorded prolifically during the late 1940's and early 50's in a jazz/blues/pop style. Many of the songs that would become
We have then gathered all the recordings Willie made for different labels during the next decade (1952-62) that were hard to find and scattered in a lot of compilations, most of them being unavailable today.
Gérard HERZHAFT
Willie Dixon, vcl/bs; Leonard Caston, pno; Bernardo Dennis, g.
01. My love will never die
Willie Dixon, vcl/bs; Harold Ashby, t-sax; band.
02. Wang dang doodle
03. So easy
Willie Dixon, vcl/bs; Leonard Caston, vcls; Ollie Crawford, g/vcls; Harold Ashby, y-sax; Lafayette Leake, pno; Al Duncan, dms.
04. Violent love
Willie Dixon, vcl/bs; Harold Ashby, t-sax; t-sax;
05. If you're mine
06. Alone
Willie Dixon, vcl/bs; t-sax;
07. Walking the blues
Willie Dixon, vcl/bs; Harold Ashby, t-sax; t-sax; Lafayette Leake, pno; Ollie Crawford, g/vcls; Fred Below, dms.
08. Crazy for my baby
09. The pain in my heart
10. I'm the lover man
Willie Dixon, vcl/bs; Harold Ashby, t-sax; t-sax;
11. Twenty nine ways to my baby's door
Willie Dixon, vcl/bs; Jody Williams, g; dms.
12. Firey love
13. All the time
Willie Dixon, vcl/bs; Champion Jack Dupree, pno.
14. Could I would I?
15. Ugly girls
Willie Dixon, vcl/bs;
16. Built for comfort
17. Don't tell nobody
18. Go easy
19. Good understanding
20. I got a razor
21. Move me
22. Nervous
23. Sittin' and cryin' the blues
24. Slim's thing
25. That's all I want baby
26. That's my baby
27. Youth to you
Willie Dixon, vcl/bs;
28. Rub my root
29. Home to mama
30. Shaky
31. One more time
32. Now howdy
Willie Dixon, vcl/bs;
33. Back home in
34. Wrinkles
Willie Dixon, vcl; J.T. Brown, t-sax; Hubert Sumlin, g; Johnny Jones, pno; Jerome Arnold, bs; Junior Blackmon, dms.
35. Tail dragger
