Jimmy McCracklin (born August 13, 1921, St. Louis, Missouri) is an American pianist, vocalist, and songwriter. His style contains West Coast blues, Jump blues, and R&B. Over a career that has spanned seven decades, he says he has written almost a thousand songs and has recorded hundreds of them.[1] McCracklin has recorded over 30 albums, and owns four gold records.Contents [hide] 1 Biography 2 Selected discography 3 Quotation 4 References 5 External links
[edit] Biography
McCracklin joined the United States Navy in 1938, later settled in Richmond, California, and began playing at the local Club Savoy owned by his sister-in-law Willie Mae "Granny" Johnson.[2] The room-length bar served beer and wine, and Granny Johnson served home-cooked meals of greens, ribs, chicken, and other southern cuisine. A house band composed of Bay Area based musicians alternated with and frequently backed performers such as B. B. King, Charles Brown, and L. C. Robinson. Later in 1963 he would write and record a song "Club Savoy" on his I Just Gotta Know album.
His recorded a debut single for Globe Records, "Miss Mattie Left Me", in 1945, and recorded "Street Loafin' Woman in 1946. McCracklin recorded for a number of labels in Los Angeles and Oakland, prior to joining Modern Records in 1949-1950. He formed a group called Jimmy McCracklin and his Blues Blasters in 1946, with guitarist Lafayette Thomas who remained with group until the early 1960s.[3]
His popularity increased after appearing on the TV pop Dick Clark's American Bandstand in support of his self written single "The Walk" (1957),[4] subsequently released by Checker Records in 1958. It went to #5 on the Billboard R&B chart and #7 on the pop chart,[5] after more than 10 years of McCracklin selling records in the black community on a series of small labels. Jimmy McCracklin Sings, his first solo album, was released in 1962, in the West Coast blues style. In 1962, McCracklin recorded "Just Got to Know" for his own Art-Tone label in Oakland, after the record made No. 2 on the R&B chart. For a brief period in the early 1970s Jimmy McCracklin ran the Continental Club in San Francisco. He booked blues acts such as T-Bone Walker, Irma Thomas, Big Joe Turner, Big Mama Thornton, and Etta James.[6] In 1967, Otis Redding and Carla Thomas had success with "Tramp", a song credited to McCracklin and Lowell Fulson. Salt-n-Pepa made a hip-hop hit out of the song in 1987. Oakland Blues (1986) is an album arranged/directed by McCracklin, and produced by World Pacific.
McCracklin continued to tour and produce new albums in the 1980s and 1990s.[7] Bob Dylan has cited McCracklin as a favorite.[8] He played at the San Francisco Blues Festival in 1973, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1984 and 2007. He was given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1990, and the Living Legend and Hall of Fame award at the Bay Area Black Music Awards, in 2007.[9] [edit] Selected discographyYear Title Genre Label 2007 1951-1954 West Coast blues Classics 2004 1948-1951 West Coast blues Classics 2003 1945-1948 West Coast blues Classics 2003 Jumpin Bay Area 1948-1955 West Coast blues P-Vine Japan 1999 Tell It to the Judge! West Coast blues Gunsmoke 1997 The Walk: Jimmy McCracklin at His Best West Coast blues, Soul-Blues Razor & Tie 1994 A Taste of the Blues West Coast blues Bullseye Blues 1992 The Mercury Recordings West Coast blues, Soul-Blues Bear Family 1991 Jimmy McCracklin: My Story West Coast blues Rounder 1991 My Story West Coast blues Rounder 1981 All His Bluesblasters West Coast blues Ace 1978 Rockin' Man West Coast blues Stax 1972 Yesterday Is Gone West Coast blues Stax 1971 High on the Blues West Coast blues Stax 1969 Stinger Man Soul-Blues Minit 1968 Let's Get Together West Coast blues Minit 1966 New Soul of Jimmy McCracklin West Coast blues Imperial 1966 My Answer West Coast blues Imperial 1965 Think West Coast blues Imperial 1965 Every Night, Every Day West Coast blues Imperial 1963 My Rockin' Soul West Coast blues United 1963 I Just Gotta Know West Coast blues Imperial 1962 Jimmy McCracklin Sings West Coast blues Chess
