<back - JIMMY 'SPOON' WITHERSPOON - Blues Master Jimmy Witherspoon was born August 8, 1923, Gurdon, Ark. and past on September 13, 1997, Los Angeles, Ca.  His father, a railroad man, sang in local choirs, while his mother played piano. Spoon didn't pursue music professionally until after his WWII stint in the Merchant Marines. On his return to the states in 1944, he replaced the great Walter Brown in The Jay McShann Band and performed with Big Joe Turner and T-Bone Walker. Spoon's first hit record was Ain't Nobody's Business which he followed in 1949 with a reworking of the Leroy Carr song In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down. His hit Ain't Nobody's Business was one of the biggest records of the era, and stayed on the Billboard for 34 weeks that year. Spoon made 200 recordings since and was a true giant of the post-war Blues boom.

He recorded for a variety of labels through the 50s, including Swingtime, Federal, Chess, RCA and a Atlantic session with The Wilbur De Paris New Orleans Jazz Band  in 1956. Spoon's long-running career took place on Jazz stages around the world, from Carnegie Hall to the Newport Jazz Festival, from touring Japan with Count Basie to European tours with Buck Clayton's All Stars. Spoon managed to span the worlds of Blues, R&B and Jazz with his deep baritone and unique style anchored in the big band Blues traditions. In 1963 Spoon recorded Evenin' Blues with T-Bone Walker and in 1968 recorded The Blues is Now with his brother, organist Jack McDuff. The 70's Spoon met Robben Ford and brought him to the attention of Spoon's management firm, the same team that handled Eric Burdon and War at the time, Spoon sang on the 1971 Eric Burdon album Guilty, and toured with Burdon. Spoon's 1975 Capitol Records recording Love Is A Five Letter Word, made the best-selling charts. He made records for labels like BlueNote and Fantasy. He cut a remarkable 1986 album Midnight Lady Called The Blues, written and produced by Dr. John and Doc Pomus. He re-teamed with guitarist Robben Ford in the early 90s for Live At The Notodden Blues Festival, and the1992 album The Blues, The Whole Blues and Nothin' But The Blues for Indigo Records. Spoon's last recording Spoon's Blues for Stony Plain featured Duke Robillard and band with guest Long John Baldry. In 1993 Spoon received the R&B Foundation's Pioneer Award. MP3- Ain't Nobody's Business | surf to OFFICIAL SPOON