Born in 1922 and raised in Arkansas with church music as a major influence, at age 16 Jimmy Witherspoon moved to California where he soaked up a mixture of swing jazz and blues. Influenced by T-Bone Walker and Walter Brown, he began singing in clubs and got introduced to Modern Records in 1947. Building a good relationship with co-owner Jules Bihari, Jimmy recorded extensively for the company throughout the late 40s and 50s. As his career continued, he became disenchanted with the Modern group and moved on to an array of labels including Chess, Atlantic, Specialty, Vee-Jay and ABC, maintaining his excellent reputation as a bluesman until his death from throat cancer in 1997. Ace’s catalogue of his work covers his early years and includes a wealth of alternate takes.
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