Amoeba Music

By J Poet

Jimmy Witherspoon, known affectionately by friends and fans as “Spoon,” was a versatile singer at home with the blues, jazz and R&B, and made his mark in all three genres. He introduced the sanctified inflections of gospel music to the blues in the 50s, helping lay the foundation for soul music, and his big, bluesy larger than life vocals were the template for many of the R&B singers who followed in his footsteps.

Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas on August 8, 1923 and like many African American singers, was introduced to music in a church choir, singing next to his father. He won a talent contest at five and dropped out of high school to pursue his dream of being a... Read More

City Of Origin:

Gurdon, Arkansas, United States

Genre:

Blues, Jump Blues

Birthdate:

08/08/1920

Death date:

09/18/1997