Born
18 December 1917, Houston, Texas, USA, d. 2 July 1988, Los Angeles,
California, USA. Taking up the alto saxophone as a child, his proficiency
at the instrument attracted local bandleaders even while young Vinson was
still at school, and he began touring with Chester Boone's territory band
during school holidays. Upon his graduation in 1935, Vinson joined the
band full-time, remaining when the outfit was taken over by Milton
Larkin’s the following year. During his five-year tenure with the
legendary Larkin’s band he met T-Bone Walker, Arnett Cobb, and Illinois
Jacquet, who all played with Larkin’s in the late 30s. More importantly
the band's touring schedule brought Vinson into contact with Big Bill
Broonzy, who taught him how to shout the blues, and Jay "Hootie"
McShann's Orchestra whose innovative young alto player, Charlie Parker,
was "kidnapped" by Vinson for several days in 1941 in order to
study his technique.
At Mercury he recorded
small-group bop and blasting band instrumentals, but his main output was
the fine body of suggestive jump-blues sung in his unique wheezy Texas
style. Hits such as "Juice Head Baby", "Kidney Stew
Blues" and "Old Maid Boogie" were the exceptions, however,
as most of Vinson’ s no-holds-barred songs, including "Some Women
Do", "Oil Man Blues" and "Ever-Ready Blues", were
simply too raunchy for airplay.
After
the 1948 union ban, Vinson began recording for King Records in a largely
unchanged style ("I'm Gonna Wind Your Clock", "I'm Weak But
Willing", "Somebody Done Stole My Cherry Red'), often with
all-star jazz units. However, his records were not promoted as well as
King's biggest R&B stars, such as Wynonie Harris and Roy Brown, and he
left to return to Mercury in the early 50s, rejoining Cootie Williams'
small band briefly in the mid-50s. In 1957 he toured with Count Basie's
Orchestra and made some recordings with a small Basie unit for King's jazz
subsidiary, Bethlehem Records, after which he retired to Houston. In 1961
he was rediscovered by fellow-alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, and a
fine album resulted on Riverside Records with the Adderley brothers"
small band. From then until his death in 1988 (of a heart attack), Vinson
found full-time employment at worldwide jazz and blues festivals, a steady
international touring schedule and dozens of credible albums on jazz and
blues labels such as Black & Blue, Bluesway, Pablo, Muse and JSP
ALBUMS
1957 Back in town Jazz Charly R&B - CD charly 50 1961 Cleanhead & Cannonball with Cannonball Adderley Jazz Milestone 1961 Backdoor Blues with Cannonball Adderley Blues Fantasy 1967 Cherry Red Jump Blues, R&B, Swing Jazz ABC's Bluesway 1986 The Late Show Live with Etta James Blues Fantasy 1999 Cleanhead Blues: 1945-1947 Import Blues Camden/Wave 2006 Honk for Texas Blues JSP 2007 Blues, Boogie & Bebop - Meat's Too High
RELATED T
