Jody Williams (blues musician)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Leon Williams better known as Jody Williams, is an American blues
guitarist and singer. His singular guitar playing, marked by flamboyant string-bending
, imaginative chord changes
and a distinctive tone
, was influential in the Chicago blues
scene of the 1950s.
in Chicago
, yet he was little known outside the music industry since his name rarely appeared on discs. His acclaimed comeback in 2000 led to a resurgence of interest in Williams’ early work, and his reappraisal as one of the great blues
guitarists.
, United States
, Williams moved to Chicago at the age of five. His first instrument was the harmonica
, which he swapped for the guitar
after hearing Bo Diddley
play at a talent show where they were both performing. Diddley, seven years his senior, took Williams under his wing and taught him the rudiments of guitar. By 1951 Williams and Diddley were playing on the street together, with Williams providing backing to Diddley's vocals, accompanied by Roosevelt Jackson on washtub bass. Williams cut his teeth gigging with a string of blues musicians, notably Memphis Minnie
, Elmore James
and Otis Spann
. After touring with West Coast
piano
player Charles Brown
, Williams established himself as a session player with Chess Records
.
At Chess, Williams met Howlin’ Wolf, recently arrived in Chicago from Memphis, Tennessee
, and was hired by Wolf as the first guitarist in his new Chicago-based band. A year later Hubert Sumlin
moved to Chicago to join Wolf's band, and the dual guitars of Williams and Sumlin are featured on Howlin’ Wolf’s 1954 singles, "Evil Is Going On
", and "Forty Four", and on the 1955 releases, "Who Will Be Next" and "Come To Me Baby." Williams also provided backing on Otis Spann’s 1954 release, "It Must Have Been The Devil", that features lead guitar work from B. B. King
, one of Williams’ early heroes and a big influence on his playing.
Williams’ solo career began in December 1955 with the upbeat saxophone
-driven "Lookin' For My Baby", released under the name Little Papa Joe on the Blue Lake
label. The label closed a few months later, leaving his slide guitar performance on "Groaning My Blues Away" unreleased. By this time, Williams was highly sought after as a session guitarist, and his virtuosity in this capacity is well illustrated by his blistering lead guitar work on Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?
", a hit for Checker Records
in 1956. (Rock musician Marshall Crenshaw
listed Williams' guitar solo on "Who Do You Love" as one of the greatest guitar solos ever recorded.) Other notable session work from the 1950s include lead guitar parts on Billy Boy Arnold
's "I Ain't Got You" and "I Wish You Would", Jimmy Rogers
’ "One Kiss", Jimmy Witherspoon
’s "Ain't Nobody's Business
" and Otis Rush
’s "Three Times A Fool".
In 1957, Williams released "You May" on Argo Records
, with the inventive b-side instrumental "Lucky Lou", the extraordinary opening riff
of which Otis Rush copied on his 1958 Cobra Records
side "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)
". Further evidence of Williams’ influence on Rush (they played on a number of sessions together) is Rush’s solo on Buddy Guy
’s 1958 debut, "Sit And Cry (The Blues)", copied almost exactly from Williams’ "You May".
's 1956 Argo release, "Billy's Blues", was appropriated by Mickey Baker
for the Mickey & Sylvia
hit, "Love Is Strange
", Chess Records took legal action. At the conclusion of the case in 1961, Williams gained neither credit nor compensation. "I was ripped off," Williams later told John Sinkevics in the Grand Rapids Press
. In the early 1960s, Williams was making a living gigging with his Big 3 Trio (distinct from Willie Dixon
’s group of the same name), but by the end of the decade, he had retired from the music industry altogether. He studied electronics
and eventually became a technical engineer for Xerox
, his job for over 25 years.
. In March 2000, he went to see his old friend Robert Lockwood, Jr. play, and grew nostalgic for his music days. Back at home, an old tape of himself playing moved him to tears and inspired him to pick up his guitar again. He returned to playing in public in June 2000, when he was featured at club gig during the 2000 Chicago Blues Festival
. He gained much encouragement in this period from Dick Shurman, who eventually produced his comeback album, Return of a Legend (2002), on which his bold playing belies his thirty-year break from music. "He plays with a verve and vigor that sound as good today as it did on the classic records," wrote Vintage Guitar magazine.
Williams continues to perform around the world, mainly at large blues festivals, and can often be seen sitting in with blues guitarist Billy Flynn at Chicago club appearances.
selection, characterized by raised fives
, and minor sixths
and minor sevenths
with flattened fives
. He usually plays with an unusual open E tuning
, originally taught to him by Bo Diddley
.
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
guitarist and singer. His singular guitar playing, marked by flamboyant string-bending
Finger vibrato
Finger vibrato is vibrato produced on a string instrument by cyclic hand movements. Despite the name, normally the entire hand moves, and sometimes the entire upper arm. It can also refer to vibrato on some woodwind instruments, achieved by lowering one or more fingers over one of the uncovered...
, imaginative chord changes
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
and a distinctive tone
Timbre
In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the...
, was influential in the Chicago blues
Chicago blues
The Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois, by taking the basic acoustic guitar and harmonica-based Delta blues, making the harmonica louder with a microphone and an instrument amplifier, and adding electrically amplified guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums,...
scene of the 1950s.
Career
In the mid 1950s, Williams was one of the most sought-after session guitaristsSession musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, yet he was little known outside the music industry since his name rarely appeared on discs. His acclaimed comeback in 2000 led to a resurgence of interest in Williams’ early work, and his reappraisal as one of the great blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
guitarists.
Chicago heyday
Born in Mobile, AlabamaMobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Williams moved to Chicago at the age of five. His first instrument was the harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, which he swapped for the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
after hearing Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
play at a talent show where they were both performing. Diddley, seven years his senior, took Williams under his wing and taught him the rudiments of guitar. By 1951 Williams and Diddley were playing on the street together, with Williams providing backing to Diddley's vocals, accompanied by Roosevelt Jackson on washtub bass. Williams cut his teeth gigging with a string of blues musicians, notably Memphis Minnie
Memphis Minnie
Memphis Minnie was an American blues guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the only female blues artist considered a match to male contemporaries as both a singer and an instrumentalist.-Career:...
, Elmore James
Elmore James
Elmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and band leader. He was known as "the King of the Slide Guitar" and had a unique guitar style, noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice.-Biography:James was born Elmore Brooks in the old Richland community in...
and Otis Spann
Otis Spann
Otis Spann was an American blues musician, who many consider the leading postwar Chicago blues pianist.-Career:Born in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, Spann became known for his distinct piano style....
. After touring with West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
player Charles Brown
Charles Brown (musician)
Charles Brown , born in Texas City, Texas was an American blues singer and pianist whose soft-toned, slow-paced blues-club style influenced the development of blues performance during the 1940s and 1950s...
, Williams established himself as a session player with Chess Records
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
.
At Chess, Williams met Howlin’ Wolf, recently arrived in Chicago from Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, and was hired by Wolf as the first guitarist in his new Chicago-based band. A year later Hubert Sumlin
Hubert Sumlin
Hubert Sumlin is an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist and singer, best known for his celebrated work, from 1955, as guitarist in Howlin' Wolf's band. His singular playing is characterized by "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic...
moved to Chicago to join Wolf's band, and the dual guitars of Williams and Sumlin are featured on Howlin’ Wolf’s 1954 singles, "Evil Is Going On
Evil (Howlin' Wolf song)
"Evil", sometimes listed as "Evil ", is a Chicago blues standard written by Willie Dixon. Howlin' Wolf, also known as Chester Burnett, recorded the song for Chess Records in 1954. It was included on the 1959 compilation album Moanin' in the Moonlight...
", and "Forty Four", and on the 1955 releases, "Who Will Be Next" and "Come To Me Baby." Williams also provided backing on Otis Spann’s 1954 release, "It Must Have Been The Devil", that features lead guitar work from B. B. King
B. B. King
Riley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M...
, one of Williams’ early heroes and a big influence on his playing.
Williams’ solo career began in December 1955 with the upbeat saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
-driven "Lookin' For My Baby", released under the name Little Papa Joe on the Blue Lake
Blue Lake Records
Blue Lake was a Chicago-based record label founded in 1954 by disc jockey Al Benson. It specialized in blues, doo-wop, jazz, and gospel. A subsidiary of Benson's Parrot operation, it lasted until mid-1956...
label. The label closed a few months later, leaving his slide guitar performance on "Groaning My Blues Away" unreleased. By this time, Williams was highly sought after as a session guitarist, and his virtuosity in this capacity is well illustrated by his blistering lead guitar work on Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?
Who Do You Love?
"Who Do You Love?" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Bo Diddley. The record features Jody Williams, then a member of Bo Diddley's band, on lead guitar.-Legacy:...
", a hit for Checker Records
Checker Records
Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary to Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Recorded Tape in 1969, shortly before Leonard's death.The label...
in 1956. (Rock musician Marshall Crenshaw
Marshall Crenshaw
Marshall Crenshaw is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist best known for his song "Someday, Someway".-Biography:...
listed Williams' guitar solo on "Who Do You Love" as one of the greatest guitar solos ever recorded.) Other notable session work from the 1950s include lead guitar parts on Billy Boy Arnold
Billy Boy Arnold
Billy Boy Arnold is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter.-Biography:...
's "I Ain't Got You" and "I Wish You Would", Jimmy Rogers
Jimmy Rogers
Jimmy Rogers was an American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, best known for his work as a member of Muddy Waters' band of the 1950s.-Career:...
’ "One Kiss", Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.-Early life and career:James Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. He first attracted attention singing with Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta, India, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service during...
’s "Ain't Nobody's Business
Ain't Nobody's Business
"Ain't Nobody's Business" or "Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness if I Do" is an eight-bar vaudeville blues song that became an early blues standard. It was written in the 1920s by pianist Porter Grainger, who had been Bessie Smith's accompanist, and Everett Robbins. The song was first recorded October 19,...
" and Otis Rush
Otis Rush
Otis Rush is a blues musician, singer and guitarist. His distinctive guitar style features a slow burning sound and long bent notes...
’s "Three Times A Fool".
In 1957, Williams released "You May" on Argo Records
Argo Records
Argo Records was started in December of 1955 to accommodate some of the rapidly growing recording activity at Chess Records. Originally the label was called Marterry, but bandleader Ralph Marterie objected, and within a couple of months the imprint was renamed Argo.Initially, Argo offered a...
, with the inventive b-side instrumental "Lucky Lou", the extraordinary opening riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
of which Otis Rush copied on his 1958 Cobra Records
Cobra Records
Cobra Records was an independent record label that operated from 1956 to 1959. The label was important for launching the recording careers of Chicago blues artists Otis Rush, Magic Sam, and Buddy Guy and "signaled the arrival of a new generation of [blues] artists and a new sound .....
side "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)
All Your Love (I Miss Loving)
"All Your Love " or "All Your Love" is a blues song written and recorded in 1958 by Chicago blues guitarist Otis Rush. It is "the best-known and most covered of Rush's [authored] songs", with versions recorded by several blues and other artists...
". Further evidence of Williams’ influence on Rush (they played on a number of sessions together) is Rush’s solo on Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
’s 1958 debut, "Sit And Cry (The Blues)", copied almost exactly from Williams’ "You May".
Disullusionment with music business
The frequency with which Williams found his distinctive guitar phrases being copied without credit led to increasing disenchantment with the music business. When the distinctive riff he created for Billy StewartBilly Stewart
Billy Stewart was an American musical artist, with a highly distinctive scat-singing style, who enjoyed popularity in the 1960s.-Biography:...
's 1956 Argo release, "Billy's Blues", was appropriated by Mickey Baker
Mickey Baker
Mickey Baker, also known as Mickey "Guitar" Baker is an American guitarist...
for the Mickey & Sylvia
Mickey & Sylvia
Mickey & Sylvia was an American R&B duo, composed of Mickey Baker and Sylvia Robinson. They were the first big seller for Groove Records.Mickey was a music instructor and Sylvia one of his pupils. Baker was inspired to form the group by the success of Les Paul & Mary Ford. They had a Top 20 hit...
hit, "Love Is Strange
Love Is Strange
"Love Is Strange" was a crossover hit by American rhythm and blues duet Mickey & Sylvia, which was released in late November 1956 by the Groove record label.The song was based on a guitar riff by Jody Williams. The co-writers of the song are of some dispute...
", Chess Records took legal action. At the conclusion of the case in 1961, Williams gained neither credit nor compensation. "I was ripped off," Williams later told John Sinkevics in the Grand Rapids Press
Grand Rapids Press
The Grand Rapids Press is a daily newspaper published in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is the largest of the eight Booth newspapers. It is sold for $.75 daily and $2.00 on Sunday.AccuWeather provides weather content to the Grand Rapids Press....
. In the early 1960s, Williams was making a living gigging with his Big 3 Trio (distinct from Willie Dixon
Willie Dixon
William James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
’s group of the same name), but by the end of the decade, he had retired from the music industry altogether. He studied electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
and eventually became a technical engineer for Xerox
Xerox
Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
, his job for over 25 years.
Comeback
Only after his retirement did he consider picking up his guitar again, which had laid untouched under his bed all the while. "One day my wife said if I started playing again I might feel better about life in general," he told Hoekstra of the Chicago Sun-TimesChicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
. In March 2000, he went to see his old friend Robert Lockwood, Jr. play, and grew nostalgic for his music days. Back at home, an old tape of himself playing moved him to tears and inspired him to pick up his guitar again. He returned to playing in public in June 2000, when he was featured at club gig during the 2000 Chicago Blues Festival
Chicago Blues Festival
The Chicago Blues Festival is an annual event held in June that features three days of performances by top-tier blues musicians, both old favorites and the up-and-coming. It is hosted by the City of Chicago Mayor's Office of Special Events, and always occurs in early June...
. He gained much encouragement in this period from Dick Shurman, who eventually produced his comeback album, Return of a Legend (2002), on which his bold playing belies his thirty-year break from music. "He plays with a verve and vigor that sound as good today as it did on the classic records," wrote Vintage Guitar magazine.
Williams continues to perform around the world, mainly at large blues festivals, and can often be seen sitting in with blues guitarist Billy Flynn at Chicago club appearances.
Technique
Williams is known for his imaginative chordChord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
selection, characterized by raised fives
Augmented fifth
In classical music from Western culture, an augmented fifth is an interval produced by widening a perfect fifth by a chromatic semitone. For instance, the interval from C to G is a perfect fifth, seven semitones wide, and both the intervals from C to G, and from C to G are augmented fifths,...
, and minor sixths
Added tone chord
An added tone chord is a non-tertian chord composed of a tertian triad and an extra "added" note. The added note is not a seventh , but typically a non-tertian note, which cannot be defined by a sequence of thirds from the root, such as the added sixth or fourth...
and minor sevenths
Minor seventh chord
In music, a minor seventh chord is any nondominant seventh chord where the "third" note is a minor third above the root.Most typically, minor seventh chord refers to where the "seventh" note is a minor seventh above the root...
with flattened fives
Half-diminished seventh chord
In music theory, the half-diminished seventh chord is created by taking the root, minor third, diminished fifth and minor seventh of any major scale; for example, C half-diminished is . Its consecutive intervals are minor 3rd, minor 3rd, major 3rd...
. He usually plays with an unusual open E tuning
Open E tuning
Open E tuning is a tuning for guitar.low-high; E-B-E-G-B-ECompared to standard tuning, two strings are two semitones higher and one string is one semitone higher. The intervals are identical to those found in open D tuning....
, originally taught to him by Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
.
Singles
- 1956 – "Looking For My Baby" / "Easy Lovin’" (Blue Lake 116) (as Little Papa Joe)
- 1957 – "You May" / "Lucky Lou" (ArgoArgo RecordsArgo Records was started in December of 1955 to accommodate some of the rapidly growing recording activity at Chess Records. Originally the label was called Marterry, but bandleader Ralph Marterie objected, and within a couple of months the imprint was renamed Argo.Initially, Argo offered a...
5274) (as Little Joe Lee) - 1963 – "Lonely Without You" / "Moanin’ For Molasses" (Nike 1013)
- 1963 – "Lonely Without You" / "Time For A Change" (Jive J-1004)
- 1963 – "Hideout" / "Moanin’ For Molasses" (SmashSmash RecordsSmash Records is an American record label. It was founded in 1961 as a subsidiary of Mercury Records by Mercury executive Shelby Singleton and run by Singleton with Charlie Fach. Fach took over after Singleton left Mercury in 1966...
1801) - 1966 – "Lonely Without You" / "Time For A Change" (Yulando R-133-8665)
Albums
- 2002 – Return Of A Legend (Evidence ECD 26120)
- 2004 – You Left Me In The Dark (Evidence ECD 26130)
Appearances as guitarist
- 1954 – Howlin’ Wolf, "Evil Is Going OnEvil (Howlin' Wolf song)"Evil", sometimes listed as "Evil ", is a Chicago blues standard written by Willie Dixon. Howlin' Wolf, also known as Chester Burnett, recorded the song for Chess Records in 1954. It was included on the 1959 compilation album Moanin' in the Moonlight...
" / "Baby How Long" (ChessChess RecordsChess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
1575) - 1954 – Howlin’ Wolf, "Forty Four" / "I’ll Be Around" (Chess 1584)
- 1954 – Otis SpannOtis SpannOtis Spann was an American blues musician, who many consider the leading postwar Chicago blues pianist.-Career:Born in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, Spann became known for his distinct piano style....
, "It Must Have Been The Devil" / "Five Spot" (CheckerChecker RecordsChecker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary to Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Recorded Tape in 1969, shortly before Leonard's death.The label...
807) - 1955 – Howlin’ Wolf, "Who Will Be Next" / "I Have A Little Girl" (Chess 1593)
- 1955 – Howlin’ Wolf, "Come To Me Baby" / "Don’t Mess With Me Baby" (Chess 1607)
- 1955 – Sonny Boy Williamson IISonny Boy Williamson IIWillie "Sonny Boy" Williamson was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, from Mississippi. He is acknowledged as one of the most charismatic and influential blues musicians, with considerable prowess on the harmonica and highly creative songwriting skills...
, "Don’t Start Me Talkin’" / "All My Love In Vain" (Checker 824) - 1955 – Billy Boy ArnoldBilly Boy ArnoldBilly Boy Arnold is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter.-Biography:...
, "I Was Fooled" / "I Wish You Would" (Vee-JayVee-Jay RecordsVee-Jay Records is a record label founded in the 1950s, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. It was owned and operated by African Americans.-History:...
VJ 146) - 1955 – Earl Phillips, "Oop De Oop" / "Nothing But Love" (Vee-Jay VJ 158)
- 1955 – Bo DiddleyBo DiddleyEllas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
, "Diddy Wah DiddyDiddy Wah Diddy"Diddy Wah Diddy" is a song written by Willie Dixon and Ellas McDaniel—known as Bo Diddley—and recorded by the latter in 1956. Over the years, the song has been covered by many bands and artists, including The Astronauts, Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, The Remains, The Twilights, Taj Mahal,...
" / "I’m Looking For A Woman" (Checker 832) - 1956 – Billy Boy Arnold, "Don’t Stay Out All Night" / "I Ain’t Got You" (Vee-Jay VJ171)
- 1956 – Lu Mac, "Albert Is His Name" / "I’ll Never Let Him Know" (Blue Lake 117)
- 1956 – Bo Diddley, "Who Do You Love?Who Do You Love?"Who Do You Love?" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Bo Diddley. The record features Jody Williams, then a member of Bo Diddley's band, on lead guitar.-Legacy:...
" / "I’m Bad" (Checker 842) - 1956 – Floyd DixonFloyd DixonFor the American football player see Floyd Dixon Floyd Dixon was an American rhythm and blues pianist and singer.-Biography:...
, "Alarm Clock Blue"s / "I’m Ashamed Of Myself" (Checker 857) - 1956 – Bobby CharlesBobby CharlesBobby Charles was an American singer-songwriter.An ethnic Cajun, Charles was born as Robert Charles Guidry in Abbeville, Louisiana and grew up listening to Cajun music and the country and western music of Hank Williams...
, "Why Did You Leave" / "Don’t You Know I Love You" (Chess 1617) - 1956 – Billy StewartBilly StewartBilly Stewart was an American musical artist, with a highly distinctive scat-singing style, who enjoyed popularity in the 1960s.-Biography:...
, "Billy’s Blues (Part 1)" / "Billy’s Blues (Part 2)" (Chess 1625 and Argo 5256) - 1956 – Billy Boy Arnold, "Here’s My Picture" / "You Got Me Wrong" (Vee-Jay VJ 192)
- 1957 – Jimmy RogersJimmy RogersJimmy Rogers was an American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, best known for his work as a member of Muddy Waters' band of the 1950s.-Career:...
, "One Kiss" / "I Can’t Believe" (Chess 1659) - 1957 – Otis RushOtis RushOtis Rush is a blues musician, singer and guitarist. His distinctive guitar style features a slow burning sound and long bent notes...
, "Groaning The Blues" / "If You Were Mine" (CobraCobra RecordsCobra Records was an independent record label that operated from 1956 to 1959. The label was important for launching the recording careers of Chicago blues artists Otis Rush, Magic Sam, and Buddy Guy and "signaled the arrival of a new generation of [blues] artists and a new sound .....
5010) - 1957 – Harold Burrage, "Messed Up" / "I Don’t Care Who Knows" (Cobra 5012)
- 1958 – Howlin’ Wolf, "I Didn’t Know" / "Moanin’ For My Baby" (Chess 1695)
- 1958 – Otis Rush, "Three Times A Fool" / "She’s A Good ‘Un" (Cobra 5023)
- 1959 – Bobby Davis, "I Was Wrong" / "Hype You Into Sellin’ (Your Head)" (Bandera 2505)
- 1959 – Bo Diddley, "Dancing Girl" (on Have Guitar Will Travel: Checker LP 2974)
- 1960 – Bobby Davis and the Big “3” Trio, "One Love Have I" / "She’s A Problem" (Bandera 2508)
- 1964 – Billy Boy Arnold, "I Wish You Would" / "Prisoner’s Plea" (Vivid 109)
- 2007 – The Mannish BoysThe Mannish BoysThe Mannish Boys are an American blues band based in Los Angeles, California. They play classic blues in West Coast, Texas and Chicago styles....
, "Groan My Blues Away" / "Young & Tender" (on Big Plans: Delta Groove DGPCD 116)
Tracks issued later than their recording date
- 1976 – J. T. BrownJ. T. BrownJ. T. Brown was an American tenor saxophonist of the Chicago blues era. He was variously billed as Saxman Brown, J.T. Brown and Bep Brown.-Biography:...
, "Lonely (As A Man Can Be)" / "Going Home To My Baby" / "It's A Shame To Tell The People" / "When I Was A Lad" / "Use That Spot" (Windy City Boogie: Pearl PL-9; recorded 1956) - 1979 – Harold Burrage, "I Love My Baby" (on Rockin’ Wild: P-Vine PLP-9021; recorded 1957)
- 1982 – Willie DixonWillie DixonWilliam James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
, "Firey Love" (on Blues Roots Series Vol. 12: Chess LP 6.24802AG; recorded 1957) - 1989 – Jody Williams, "Moaning Blues (Groan My Blues Away)" / "What A Fool I’ve Been (I Feel So All Alone)" (on Cool Playing Blues: Relic LP 8025/CD 7016; recorded 1955)
- 1990 – Jimmy WitherspoonJimmy WitherspoonJimmy Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.-Early life and career:James Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. He first attracted attention singing with Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta, India, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service during...
, "Congratulations" / "Ain’t Nobody’s Business" (on Spoon So Easy: Chess CH-93003; recorded 1956) - 1991 – Jody Williams, "What Kind Of Gal Is That?" (on The Blues Vol. 6: Chess/MCA CH/CHD 9330; recorded 1957)
- 1995 – Willie DixonWillie DixonWilliam James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
, All The Time (on The Original Wang Dang Doodle: Chess/MCA CHD-9353; recorded 1957) - 1996 – Bobby CharlesBobby CharlesBobby Charles was an American singer-songwriter.An ethnic Cajun, Charles was born as Robert Charles Guidry in Abbeville, Louisiana and grew up listening to Cajun music and the country and western music of Hank Williams...
, "Watch It, Sprocket" / "Hey Good Lookin’" (on Chess Masters: MCA Victor MVCM-22078; recorded 1956)