James John (Jimmy) Witherspoon, also known by the nickname “Spoon”, was a versatile "blues shouter" who achieved commercial success and critical acclaim in the genres of blues, jazz, and rhythm and blues. His 1947 recording “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” was a hit in 1949 and became his signature song.
His date of birth is usually given as August 8, 1923, but some sources give the birth year as 1920, and more than one source gives the birth date as August 18, 1921, attributing the information to his son. Since he may have run away from home to Los Angeles, California, as early as 1935, the earlier dates seem more plausible. In a 1996 interview, he gave his age as seventy-four, which also corresponds with the 1921 date.
Jimmy Witherspoon was born in Gurdon (Clark County) Arkansas to Leonard Witherspoon, a Missouri Pacific Railroad brakeman, and Eva Tatum Witherspoon, a church pianist. The family was devoutly religious. His parents were members of the choir at their Baptist church.
He didn't pursue music professionally until after his stint in the Merchant Marines in World War II. On his return to the Unites States in 1944, he replaced Walter Brown in Jay McShann's band, and performed with Big Joe Turner and T-Bone Walker.
Witherpoon's first hit record was "Ain't Nobody's Business", which he followed in 1949 with a reworking of the Leroy Carr song "In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down". His hit "Ain't Nobody's Business" was one of the biggest records of the era, and stayed on the Billboard charts for 34 weeks. Spoon made at least 200 recordings, and was one of the few true giants of the post-war blues boom.
Witherspoon recorded for a variety of labels through the 1950s, including cornerstone sides with Swingtime, Federal, Chess, RCA, and even a Dixieland session with The Wilbur de Paris New Orleans Jazz Band for Atlantic in 1956. His long career included performances on jazz stages around the world, from Carnegie Hall to the Newport Jazz Festival, touring Japan with Count Basie, and European tours with Buck Clayton's All Stars. Witherspoon managed to span the worlds of blues, R&B, and jazz with his deep baritone voice and unique style.
Witherspoon died September 18, 1997 in Los Angeles, California.
Spoon 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 World War II. Witherspoon made his first records with Jay McShann's band in 1945. In 1949, recording under his own name with the McShann band, he had his first hit, "Ain't Nobody's Business,"[2] a song which came to be regarded as his signature tune. In 1950 he had hits with two more songs closely identified with him: "No Rollin' Blues", "Big Fine Girl", as well as "Failing By Degrees" and "New Orleans Woman" recorded with the Gene Gilbeaux Orchestra which included Herman Washington and Don Hill on the Modern Records label. These were recorded from a live performance on May 10, 1949 at a "Just Jazz" concert Pasadena, CA sponsored by Gene Norman. Another classic Witherspoon composition is "Times Gettin' Tougher Than Tough".
Witherspoon's style of blues - that of the "blues shouter" - became unfashionable in the mid-1950s, but he returned to popularity with his 1959 album, Jimmy Witherspoon at the Monterey Jazz Festival, which featured Roy Eldridge, Woody Herman, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Earl Hines and Mel Lewis, among others. He later recorded with Gerry Mulligan, Leroy Vinnegar, Richard "Groove" Holmes and T-Bone Walker.
Tours and successes
In 1961 he toured Europe with Buck Clayton and returned to the UK on many occasions, featuring on a mid-sixties live UK recording Spoon Sings and Swings (1966) with tenor sax player Dick Morrissey's quartet. In 1970, he appeared on Brother Jack McDuff's London Blue Note recording To Seek a New Home together with British jazz musicians, including Dick Morrissey, again, and Terry Smith. In the 1970s he also recorded the album Guilty! (later released on CD as Black & White Blues) with Eric Burdon and featuring Ike White & the San Quentin Prison Band. He then toured with a band of his own featuring Robben Ford and Russ Ferrante. A recording from this period, Spoonful, featured 'Spoon accompanied by Robben Ford, Joe Sample, Cornell Dupree, Thad Jones and Bernard Purdie. He continued performing and recording into the 1990s.
Other performers with whom Witherspoon recorded include Jimmy Rowles, Earl "Fatha" Hines, Vernon Alley, Mel Lewis, Teddy Edwards, Gerald Wiggins, John Clayton, Paul Humphrey, Pepper Adams, Kenny Burrell, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Jimmy Smith, Long John Baldry, Junior Mance, Ellington bassist Jimmy Woode, Kenny Clarke, Gerry Mulligan, Jim Mullen, Count Basie, Van Morrison, Dutch Swing College Band, Gene Gilbeaux and others.
Acting
In the 1995 film Georgia, Witherspoon portrayed a traveling, gun-collecting blues singer, Trucker, who has a relationship with the troubled character Sadie, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Blues In Trouble
Jimmy Witherspoon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I won't be blue always,
'Cause that sun is gonna shine in my back door someday
I'm going down to the river
I'm going top take me a rocking chair
and if the blues don't leave me, I rock on away from here
But I won't be blue always,
'Cause that sun is gonna shine in my back door someday
Trouble in mind, that's true
I have almost lost my mind
Life ain't worth living, I feel like I could die
Trouble in mind, I'm blue
My poor heart is healing slow
I've never had such trouble in my whole life before
I'm gonna lay my head on some lonesome railroad line
and let that 2:19 special ease my troubled mind
Trouble in mind, I'm blue,
But I won't be blue always
'Cause that sun is gonna shine in my back door someday
The song Trouble in Mind by Jimmy Witherspoon is a heartfelt blues ballad that expresses the pain and anguish of the singer. The repeated phrase "trouble in mind, I'm blue" reinforces the feeling of sadness and despair that the singer is experiencing. However, the song also portrays a sense of hope, with the line "I won't be blue always, 'cause that sun is gonna shine in my back door someday", suggesting that things will eventually get better.
The singer also alludes to the power of music to heal, by saying he will take a rocking chair down to the river and "if the blues don't leave me, I'll rock on away from here". He also expresses a desire to escape his troubles by laying his head on a lonesome railroad line and letting a train ease his troubled mind.
Overall, the song captures the complexities of mental anguish, the longing for hope, and the power of music to provide solace.
Line by Line Meaning
Trouble in mind, I'm blue
I'm feeling distressed and unhappy.
But I won't be blue always,
I won't be feeling this way forever.
'Cause that sun is gonna shine in my back door someday
Things are going to get better eventually.
I'm going down to the river
I'm headed to the river.
I'm going top take me a rocking chair
I'm bringing a rocking chair with me.
and if the blues don't leave me, I rock on away from here
I'll keep rocking until I feel better or leave this place.
Trouble in mind, that's true
My worries are real.
I have almost lost my mind
I feel like I'm going crazy.
Life ain't worth living, I feel like I could die
I'm feeling so low that life doesn't seem worth living.
My poor heart is healing slow
My heartache is taking a while to heal.
I've never had such trouble in my whole life before
I've never felt this bad before.
I'm gonna lay my head on some lonesome railroad line
I'm going to rest my head on a railroad track.
and let that 2:19 special ease my troubled mind
I hope that passing train will help me feel better.
But I won't be blue always
Once again, I won't feel this way forever.
'Cause that sun is gonna shine in my back door someday
A reminder that there is still hope for better days.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Richard M. Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind