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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZDIXON, Willie(b 1 July '15, Vicksburg MS; d 29 Jan. '92, Burbank CA) Bassist; also guitar, singer, songwriter; perhaps the single most important figure in classic era of urban Chicago blues. First moved to Chicago late '20s; in and out of music until '32; won Golden Gloves amateur heavyweight boxing title '36; turned pro, then to pro music instead '37: met guitarist/pianist Leonard Caston at the gym (aka 'Baby Doo'; b 2 June '17, Sumrall MS); Dixon learned bass and worked with Caston in the Five Breezes, then the Big Three Trio mid- '40s (compilation on Columbia CD). One of the first releases on the new Mercury label '45 was 'It's Just The Blues' by Willie Dixon's Four Jumps of Jive. He backed other bluesmen; worked as house bassist, composer, talent scout etc for Chess label '52-- 6, other Chicago labels '56--60, played on and otherwise contributed to hits by Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf, Otis Rush, many others; wrote 'Hoochie Coochie Man', 'I Just Want To Make Love To You', 'Little Red Rooster', 'Wang Dang Doodle', 'Seventh Son', scores more: Leonard Chess called him 'my right arm' (but Chess had to be sued for song royalties). In '77 Dixon's manager Scott Cameron extricated him from unfair publishing deals and he started making a lot more money (e.g. for songs covered by Led Zeppelin etc); Dixon gave Cameron a third of some of his publishing, but stopped paying Cameron not long before he died, apparently feeling that he had been paying a commission rather than having signed anything away for perpetuity. Meanwhile he formed his own publishing company, made film, TV and festival appearances (UK TV film Chicago Blues '70, Out Of The Blacks And Into The Blues '72, etc). He did not make many records as a leader because Chess found him more valuable in the studio; later there were Willie's Blues '59 with Memphis Slim on Prestige Bluesville, also I Am The Blues on Columbia (and Mobile Fidelity CD), Hidden Charms '88 on Capitol prod. by T-Bone Burnett incl. Earl Palmer on drums; Mighty Earthquake And Hurricane now on Mighty Tiger CD. Autobiography I Am The Blues '89 with Don Snowden reveals that he jammed with the Sons of the Pioneers in the '40s. He started a Blues Foundation, and in '93 his family bought Chess's old building in Chicago to house it; but in early '95 his widow lost a round in a courtroom squabble with Cameron. |