Blues vocalist Willie Mabon is born in Hollywood, Tennessee. (1925) Born Willie James Mabon,[2] and brought up in Hollywood, Memphis, Tennessee, he had become known as a singer and pianist by the time he moved to Chicago in 1942. He formed a group, the Blues Rockers, and in 1949 began recording for the Aristocrat label, and then Chess. His biggest success came in 1952 when his debut solo release, I Dont Know, topped the Billboard R&B chart for eight weeks.[3] It was one of the most popular releases of its era, becoming Chesss biggest hit in the period before Chuck Berrys and Bo Diddleys success. It also became one of the first R&B hit records to be covered by a leading white artist, Tennessee Ernie Ford. Mabons original was played on Alan Freeds early radio shows and also sold well to white audiences, crossing over markets at the start of the rock and roll era. Mabon returned to the top R&B slot in 1953 with Im Mad, and had another hit in 1954 with the Mel London song Poison Ivy. However, his career failed to maintain its momentum, and record releases in the late 1950s on a variety of record labels were largely unsuccessful. Releases in the 1960s included Im The Fixer and Got To Have Some.[3] After a 1972 move to Paris, Mabon toured and recorded in Europe as part of promoter Jim Simpsons American Blues Legends tour, recording The Comeback for Simpsons Big Bear Records label, and his 1977 album on Ornament Records.[4] He also performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival.[1] In April 1985, after a long illness, Mabon died in Paris.[5]youtu.be/f5F9TaaZTfk
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 17:19:03 +0000
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