Mose Vinson
Encyclopedia
Mose Vinson was an American
boogie-woogie
, blues
and jazz
pianist
and singer. His best known recording
s were "Blues With A Feeling" and "Sweet Root Man". Over his lengthy career, Vinson worked with various musician
s including Booker T. Laury
and James Cotton
.
, Mississippi
. He taught himself how to play the piano
as a child. In his teenage years, Vinson started playing his own style of barrelhouse boogie-woogie in local juke joint
s in Mississippi and Tennessee, incorporating both blues and jazz in his repertoire. In 1932, following a chance meeting with Sunnyland Slim
, Vinson relocated from Mississippi to Memphis
, Tennessee
.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Vinson continued to play at local juke house and rural community parties. By the early 1950s, Vinson found employment as a custodian at the Taylor Boarding Home, where artists often stayed whilst recording next door at Sun Records
studios
. In the studios, Sam Phillips
occasionally requested that Vinson accompany musicians. These included James Cotton
on "Cotton Crop Blues" (1954), and Jimmy DeBerry on the latter's "Take a Little Chance". Phillips also allowed Vinson to record some tracks of his own, although these were not released until the 1980s. Vinson recorded two versions of "Forty-Four
", one retitled "Worry You Off My Mind", and the other as "My Love Has Gone" (also known as "Come See Me"). Session musician
s on these recordings included Walter Horton, Joe Hill Louis
and Joe Willie Wilkins
.
After a period of lesser musical activity, by the early 1980s, the Center for Southern Folklore
had enlisted Vinson to perform at various cultural events, and at local schools. He became a regular at the Center, where he played and taught for twenty years. In 1990, his contribution towards the album
, Memphis Piano Blues Today, was recorded at his home.
In 1997, his first full-length CD
compilation album
was released via the Center. Declining health, however, stopped him playing not long before his death.
Mose Vinson died of diabetes
, in November 2002 in Memphis, at the age of 85.
In 2007, the Memphis Music and Heritage Festival was dedicated to his memory.
cites August 7, 1917 and November 16, 2002; yet another on-line source specialising in death details quotes June 2, 1917 and November 23, 2002.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie has the following meanings:*Boogie-woogie, a piano-based music style*Boogie-woogie , a swing dance or a dance that imitates the rock-n-roll dance of the 1950s*"Boogie Woogie" , a song by EuroGroove and Dannii Minogue...
, 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...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and singer. His best known recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
s were "Blues With A Feeling" and "Sweet Root Man". Over his lengthy career, Vinson worked with various musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s including Booker T. Laury
Booker T. Laury
Booker T. Laury was an American boogie-woogie, blues, gospel and jazz pianist and singer. Over his lengthy career, Laury worked with various musicians including Memphis Slim and Mose Vinson...
and James Cotton
James Cotton
James Cotton is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, who has performed and recorded with many of the great blues artists of his time as well as with his own band.-Career:...
.
Biography
Vinson was born in Holly SpringsHolly Springs, Mississippi
Holly Springs is a city in Marshall County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,957 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marshall County. A short drive from Memphis, Tennessee, Holly Springs is the site of a number of well-preserved antebellum homes and other structures and...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. He taught himself how to play the 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...
as a child. In his teenage years, Vinson started playing his own style of barrelhouse boogie-woogie in local juke joint
Juke joint
Juke joint is the vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African American people in the southeastern United States. The term "juke" is believed to derive from the Gullah word joog, meaning rowdy or disorderly...
s in Mississippi and Tennessee, incorporating both blues and jazz in his repertoire. In 1932, following a chance meeting with Sunnyland Slim
Sunnyland Slim
Albert "Sunnyland Slim" Luandrew was an American blues pianist, who was born in the Mississippi Delta, and later moved to Chicago, Illinois, to contribute to that city's post-war scene as a center for blues music...
, Vinson relocated from Mississippi to Memphis
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....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Vinson continued to play at local juke house and rural community parties. By the early 1950s, Vinson found employment as a custodian at the Taylor Boarding Home, where artists often stayed whilst recording next door at Sun Records
Sun Records
Sun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27, 1952.Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash...
studios
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
. In the studios, Sam Phillips
Sam Phillips
Samuel Cornelius Phillips , better known as Sam Phillips, was an American businessman, record executive, record producer and DJ who played an important role in the emergence of rock and roll as the major form of popular music in the 1950s...
occasionally requested that Vinson accompany musicians. These included James Cotton
James Cotton
James Cotton is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, who has performed and recorded with many of the great blues artists of his time as well as with his own band.-Career:...
on "Cotton Crop Blues" (1954), and Jimmy DeBerry on the latter's "Take a Little Chance". Phillips also allowed Vinson to record some tracks of his own, although these were not released until the 1980s. Vinson recorded two versions of "Forty-Four
Forty-Four (song)
"Forty-Four" or "44 Blues" is a blues standard whose origins have been traced back to early 1920s Louisiana. However, it was Roosevelt Sykes, who provided the lyrics and first recorded it in 1929, that helped popularize the song...
", one retitled "Worry You Off My Mind", and the other as "My Love Has Gone" (also known as "Come See Me"). Session musician
Session 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...
s on these recordings included Walter Horton, Joe Hill Louis
Joe Hill Louis
Joe Hill Louis , born Lester Hill, was an American singer, guitarist, harmonica player and one-man band...
and Joe Willie Wilkins
Joe Willie Wilkins
Joe Willie Wilkins was an American Memphis blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Whilst he influenced contemporaries such as Houston Stackhouse, Robert Nighthawk, David Honeyboy Edwards, and Jimmy Rogers, Wilkins' bigger impact was on up and coming guitarists, including Little Milton, B.B....
.
After a period of lesser musical activity, by the early 1980s, the Center for Southern Folklore
Center for Southern Folklore
The Center for Southern Folklore is an American non-profit cultural organization based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1972 by William Ferris and Judy Peiser, its mission is "to preserve, defend, protect and promote the music, culture, arts, and rhythms of the South."The Center produces...
had enlisted Vinson to perform at various cultural events, and at local schools. He became a regular at the Center, where he played and taught for twenty years. In 1990, his contribution towards the album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Memphis Piano Blues Today, was recorded at his home.
In 1997, his first full-length CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
was released via the Center. Declining health, however, stopped him playing not long before his death.
Mose Vinson died of diabetes
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
, in November 2002 in Memphis, at the age of 85.
In 2007, the Memphis Music and Heritage Festival was dedicated to his memory.
Date confusion
There is some confusion over both the birth and death dates for Vinson. Allmusic quotes August 7, 1917 and November 30, 2002; whilst the Encyclopedia of Popular MusicEncyclopedia of Popular Music
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music was created in 1989 by Colin Larkin. It is the 'modern man's' equivalent of the Grove Dictionary of Music which Larkin describes in less than flattering terms.-History of the encyclopedia:...
cites August 7, 1917 and November 16, 2002; yet another on-line source specialising in death details quotes June 2, 1917 and November 23, 2002.
Discography
| Album title | Record label | Year of release |
|---|---|---|
| Memphis Piano Blues Today | Wolf Records | 1990 |
| Mose Vinson: Piano Man | Center for Southern Folklore | 1997 |