Jimmy McCracklin

Infobox musical artist

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Name = Jimmy McCracklin
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name =
Landscape = yes
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1921|8|13
Died =
Origin = flagicon|USA St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Genre = West Coast blues
Jump blues
R&B
Occupation = Pianist, Vocalist, Songwriter, Composer
Years_active = 1945 – Present
Label = Globe, Swing Time, Imperial, Peacock, Trilon, Modern, Rounder, Classics, Bear Family, Ace, Stax, Minit
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.jimmymccracklin.com/ www.JimmyMccracklin.com]

Jimmy McCracklin (born 13 August 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's written almost a thousand songs and has recorded hundreds of them. [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/01/DDGQ9OC7VJ1.DTL Richmond's Jimmy McCracklin, a top-rank bluesman for many years, isn't coming back -- he never left] (article dated March 1, 2007)] McCracklin has recorded over 30 albums, and owns four gold records.

Biography

McCracklin joined the United States Navy in 1938, he later settle in Richmond, California, and began playing at the local Club Savoy owned by his sister-in-law Willie Mae "Granny" Johnson. [Johnson, Marilynn S. "The Second Gold Rush: Oakland and the East Bay in World War II", University of California Press, page 139, (1996) - ISBN 0520207017] 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 the 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 touching down with Modern Records in 1949-1950. He formed a group Jimmy McCracklin and His Blues Blasters in 1946, with guitarist Lafayette Thomas who remained with group until the early 1960s. [Vladimir, Bogdanov. "All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues", Backbeat Books, page 384, (2003) - ISBN 0879307366]

His popularity increased after appearing on the TV pop Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" in support of his self written single "The Walk" (1957), [Cunningham, Lyn Driggs. "Sweet, Hot, and Blue: St. Louis' Musical Heritage", McFarland Pub., page 110, (1989) - ISBN 0899503020] a good groove that Checker Records put on the market in 1958. It went Top Ten on both the R&B and pop charts, [ [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=1363 Billboard: Jimmy McCracklin bio] ] 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, the style is of West Coast blues. 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 charts. For a brief period in the early 1970s Jimmy McCracklin ran the Continental Club in San Francisco, dubbed "the Coliseum of the Oakland blues". He booked major blues acts like T-Bone Walker, Irma Thomas, Big Joe Turner, Big Mama Thornton, and Etta James. [Selvin, Joel. "San Francisco, the Musical History Tour: A Guide to Over 200 of the Bay Area Most Memorable Music Sites", Chronicle Books, page 138, (1996) - ISBN 0811810070] 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.Rosen, Steven (July 6, 1988). A Circuit of Festivals Showcases the Blues. "New York Times"] Bob Dylan has cited McCracklin as a favorite.Dylan, Bob (April 30, 2006). MUSIC: PLAYLIST; It's All Right, Ma, I'm Only D.J.-ing. "New York Times"] He has played at the legendary San Francisco Blues Festival in '73, '77, '80, 81, '84 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. [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/17/DDG1TP8J9U1.DTL&hw=Jimmy+McCracklin&sn=003&sc=110 Bay Area Black Music Awards (2007)] ]

elected discography

References

External links

* [http://www.jimmymccracklin.com/ Jimmy McCracklin official site]
* [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2007/03/01/DDGQ9OC7VJ1.DTL&o=0 Jimmy McCracklin photo gallery]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3iftxq95ld0e~T1 All Music Guide]