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.
Gloomy Sunday
Jimmy Witherspoon Lyrics
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Dearest the shadows I live with are numberless
Little white flowers will never awaken you
Not where the black coach of sorrow has taken you
Angels have no thought of ever returning you
Would they be angry if I thought of joining you?
Gloomy Sunday
Gloomy is Sunday, with shadows I spend it all
My heart and I have decided to end it all
Soon there'll be candles and prayers that are sad I know
Let them not weep let them know that I'm glad to go
Death is no dream for in death I'm caressing you
With the last breath of my soul I'll be blessing you
Gloomy Sunday
Dreaming, I was only dreaming
I wake and I find you asleep in the deep of my heart, here
Darling, I hope that my dream never haunted you
My heart is telling you how much I wanted you
Gloomy Sunday
The song “Gloomy Sunday” by Jimmy Witherspoon is a hauntingly beautiful ballad that speaks of the pain of lost love and the desire to be reunited with a loved one who has passed away. The song is written in the first person, describing the singer's thoughts and feelings as he mourns the loss of his lover. In the first stanza, he describes the sadness and loneliness he feels on a gloomy Sunday, with nothing to give him comfort. He talks about the shadows he lives with and the little white flowers that will never awaken his lover from her eternal slumber. He also acknowledges the finality of death, wondering if angels would be angry if he were to join his lover in death.
The second stanza speaks more directly about the singer's own impending death. He states that he and his heart have decided to end it all, and there will be candles and prayers to mourn his loss. He asks that those who are left behind should not weep but should know that he is glad to go, because death is not a dream but a way to be reunited with his loved one. The final stanza takes on a more dream-like quality, as the singer talks about dreaming of his lover and waking to find her still with him, even though she is gone. He expresses his desire to be with her again and his love for her, even in death.
Line by Line Meaning
Sunday is gloomy, my hours are slumberless
I spend a gloomy Sunday with sleepless hours.
Dearest the shadows I live with are numberless
I am surrounded by countless shadows and darkness every day.
Little white flowers will never awaken you
Even the beauty of little white flowers cannot bring you back to life.
Not where the black coach of sorrow has taken you
You are gone to a place of sorrow from where there is no return.
Angels have no thought of ever returning you
Even the forces of heaven cannot bring you back.
Would they be angry if I thought of joining you?
I wonder if the heavenly forces would be angry if I were to join you.
Gloomy Sunday
The day of sorrow and sadness.
Gloomy is Sunday, with shadows I spend it all
Sunday is a gloomy day, and I spend it in the company of the shadows.
My heart and I have decided to end it all
My heart and I have decided to end this life.
Soon there'll be candles and prayers that are sad, I know
There will be sad candles and prayers when I am gone.
Let them not weep let them know that I'm glad to go
Let them not weep, but know that I am happy to leave this world.
Death is no dream for in death I'm caressing you
Death is not a dream, as even in death I hold and caress you.
With the last breath of my soul I'll be blessing you
With my last breath, I will continue to bless and love you.
Dreaming, I was only dreaming
I was only dreaming when I thought I could live this life without you.
I wake and I find you asleep in the deep of my heart, here
I wake to find that you are still asleep in the depths of my heart.
Darling, I hope that my dream never haunted you
My love, I hope that my dreams of leaving this world have not caused you pain.
My heart is telling you how much I wanted you
My heart is telling you how much I love and wanted you.
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Laszlo Javor, Rezso Seress, Sam M. Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind