Willie Dixon

William James "Willie" Dixon (July 1, 1915 – January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, singer, songwriter and bass player. He was one of the founders of Chicago blues. He wrote a lot of songs which are still standards of Chicago blues. (i.e. "Little Red Rooster", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Evil", "Spoonful", "Back Door Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "I Ain't Superstitious", "My Babe", "Wang Dang Doodle", and "Bring It On Home") The songs are from the 1950s when Dixon worked as producer for Chess Records. He also played upright bass on many of the label's records.
Life
Dixon was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi on July 1, 1915. He learned the blues during his time on prison farms in Mississippi as an early-teenager. Dixon sang bass for  The Jubilee Singers, a local gospel group that was often in the program of the local radio station WQBC. He began to change poems he wrote into songs which he sold to local groups.

1936 he went to Chicago like many others from the Mississippi delta. There he begun boxing and won the Illinois State Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship (Novice Division) in 1937. During his boxing time he met Leonard "Baby Doo" Caston, who convinced him to a musical career. Before the Second World War Dixon sang in different vocal groups. After the war he reunited with Caston and formed the "Big Three Trio".

Dixon signed with Chess Records as a recording artist but soon was involved in the record business. By 1951 he was producer, talent scout, session musician and staff songwriter. He worked with Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Otis Rush, Bo Diddley, Joe Louis Walker, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Koko Taylor, Little Milton, Eddie Boyd, Jimmy Witherspoon, Lowell Fulson, Willie Mabon, Memphis Slim, Washboard Sam, Jimmy Rogers, and others. By his work with Chuck Berry he was a link between blues and early rock and roll.

From the late 1960s until the middle 1970s, Dixon ran his own record label, Yambo Records. He formed different all star bands which often went on tours in Europe. He also became an advocate for the blues. He founded the Blues Heaven Foundation. The Foundation preserves the blues legacy and secures copyrights and royalties for blues musicians who were often exploited in the past.

In the 1970s and 1980s his health became weaker and weaker because of his diabetes. Dixon died of heart failure in Burbank, California on January 29, 1992.

Honors
Blues Hall of Fame (1980)
Grammy (1989) for Hidden Charms
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the "early influences" (pre-rock) category (1994)
Discography
YearTitleLabelNumberComments1959Willie's BluesBluesvilleBVLP-1003with Memphis Slim1960Blues Every Which WayVerveMGV-3007with Memphis Slim1960Songs of Memphis Slim and "Wee Willie" DixonFolkwaysFW-23851962Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon at the Village GateFolkwaysFA-2386live, with guest Pete Seeger1963In Paris: Baby Please Come Home!BattleBM-6122with Memphis Slim, 19621970I Am The BluesColumbiaPC-9987with the Chicago All Stars1971Willie Dixon's Peace?Yambo777-15with the Chicago All Stars1973CatalystOvationOVQD-1433quadraphonic pressing1976What Happened To My BluesOvationOV-17051983Mighty Earthquake and HurricanePausaPR-71571985Willie Dixon: Live (Backstage Access)PausaPR-7183with Sugar Blue and Clifton James, Montreux 19851988Hidden CharmsBugC1-90593Grammy-winning album1988The Chess Box	Chess RecordsA compilition with Willie Dixons most important songs 1989Ginger Ale AfternoonVarèse SarabandeVSD-5234soundtrack for movie of the same name1990The Big Three TrioLegacyC-46216from 1947–19521995The Original Wang Dang Doodle: The Chess RecordingsMCA9353compilation (some unreleased) from 1954–19901996Crying the Blues: Live in ConcertThunderboltCDTB-166live with Johnny Winter & the Chicago All Stars, Houston 19711998Good AdviceWolf120.700live with the Chicago All Stars, Long Beach 19911998I Think I Got the BluesPrevue172001Big Boss Men - Blues Legends of the SixtiesIndigo (UK)IGOXCD543live, Houston 1971-72 (six tracks)

Reading
Dixon, Willie; Snowden, Don (1989). I Am the Blues. Da Capo Press. .

References

Category:1915 births
Category:1992 deaths
Category:American blues singers
Category:Musicians from Mississippi
Category:Chicago blues musicians
Category:People from Vicksburg, Mississippi