# Eddie 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 accidentally removed by lye contained in a hair-straightening product, necessitating shaving it off; enamoured of the look, Vinson maintained a shaved head thereafter. Music critic Robert Christgau has called Vinson "one of the cleanest, and nastiest, blues voices you'll ever hear."

## Biography

Vinson was born in Houston, Texas. He started out with Milton Larkin's orchestra in the 1930s. At various times, he was with Tom Archia, while other members of the band included Cedric Haywood and Wild Bill Davis. He then played for Big Bill Broonzy. During the 1940s, he was with the Cootie Williams Orchestra. He recorded such tunes as "Cherry Red".
There is some controversy over who composed "Four".
He died aged 70 in 1988, from a heart attack while undergoing chemotherapy, in Los Angeles, California.

## Discography

| Year | Title | Notes | Genre | Label |
| 1957 | Clean Head's Back in Town | with Joe Newman, Henry Coker, Bill Graham, Frank Foster, Paul Quinichette, Charlie Rouse, Charles Fowlkes, Nat Pierce, Freddie Green, Turk Van Lake, Ed Jones, Gus Johnson, Ed Thigpen | Blues, Jazz | Bethlehem; Charly |
| 1962 | Back Door Blues | with Cannonball Adderley Quintet; some tracks and alternate takes released as Cleanhead & Cannonball on Landmark | Blues, Jazz | Riverside; Fresh Sound |
| 1967 | Cherry Red | with Mike Bloomfield | Blues | ABC/Bluesway; One Way |
| 1969 | Kidney Stew is Fine | with T-Bone Walker and Jay McShann; also released as Wee Baby Blues on Black & Blue | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz | Delmark |
| 1969 [1984] | Live! in France | with Jay McShann | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz | Black & Blue |
| 1970 | The Original Cleanhead | with Artie Butler, David Cohen, Joe Pass, Arthur Wright, Earl Palmer, Plas Johnson | Blues | Bluestime/Flying Dutchman; Ace |
| 1971 | You Can't Make Love Alone | Live at the 1971 Montreux Jazz Festival | Blues | Mega/Flying Dutchman |
| 1974 [1975] | Jamming the Blues | Live in Montreux | Blues | Black Lion |
| 1978 | The "Clean" Machine | with Lloyd Glenn | Blues, Jazz | Muse |
| 1978 [1981] | Live at Sandy's (Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and the Muse All Stars) | with Arnett Cobb and Buddy Tate | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz | Muse 5208 |
| 1978 [1984] | Hold It Right There! (Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and the Muse All Stars) | with Arnett Cobb and Buddy Tate | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz | Muse 5243 |
| 1979 [2003] | Redux: Live at the Keystone Korner | with Larry Vuckovich | Blues, Jazz | Savant |
| 1980 | Kansas City Shout | with Count Basie and Big Joe Turner | Blues, Jazz | Pablo |
| 1980 | Fun in London | with John Burch, Lennie Bush, Bobby Orr | Blues, Jazz | JSP |
| 1981 | I Want a Little Girl | with Art Hillery, Cal Green, John Heard, Roy McCurdy, Martin Banks, Rashid Jamal Ali | Blues, Jazz | Pablo |
| 1982 | Mr. Cleanhead's Back in Town | with Stan Greig, Les Davidson, Paul Sealey, Martin Guy | Blues, Jazz | JSP |
| 1982 | Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson & Roomful of Blues | with Roomful of Blues | Blues, Jump Blues | Muse; Rockbeat |
| 1986 | Blues in the Night Volume One: The Early Show | Live in Los Angeles with Etta James | Blues | Fantasy |
| 1986 [1987] | The Late Show: Blues in the Night, Volume 2 | Live in Los Angeles with Etta James | Blues | Fantasy |
| 1987 | Oscar Peterson + Harry Edison + Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson | with Oscar Peterson and Harry "Sweets" Edison | Jazz | Pablo |
| 1996 | Kidney Stew (The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions) | with T-Bone Walker and Jay McShann | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz | Black & Blue |
| 2003 | Bald Headed Blues (His Complete King Recordings 1949-1952) | compilation | Jump Blues | Ace |
| 2006 | Honk for Texas (1942–1954) | with Cootie Williams and Big Jim Wynn; 4-CD box set; compilation | Jump Blues | JSP |
| 2007 | Blues, Boogie & Bebop – Meat's Too High | compilation of Fun in London and Mr. Cleanhead's Back in Town | Blues, Jazz | JSP |
| 2008 | Jumpin' the Blues (The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions) | with Jay McShann | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz | Black & Blue |
| 2019 | Mr. Cleanhead Blows His Greatest Hits (Selected Singles 1944-1950) | compilation | Jump Blues | Jasmine |
With Oliver Nelson
* Swiss Suite (Flying Dutchman, 1971 [rel. 1972])
With Arnett Cobb and the Muse All Stars
* Live at Sandy's! (Muse 5191, 1978 [rel. 1980])
* More Arnett Cobb and the Muse All Stars (Live at Sandy's!) (Muse 5236, 1978 [rel. 1983])
With Buddy Tate and the Muse All Stars
* Live at Sandy's (Muse 5198, 1978 [rel. 1980])
* Hard Blowin' (Live at Sandy's) (Muse 5249, 1978 [rel. 1984])
With Helen Humes and the Muse All Stars
* Helen Humes and the Muse All Stars (Muse 5217, 1978 [rel. 1980]) - with Arnett Cobb and Buddy Tate