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.
Jelly Jelly
Jimmy Witherspoon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hello baby, I had to call you on the phone
'Cause I feel so lonesome
And daddy wants his baby home
It's a down-right rotten,
Low down dirty shame
It's a down right rotten
The way that you're treatin' poor me
I know I'm not to blame
Jelly jelly jelly
Jelly stays on my mind
Jelly jelly jelly
Jelly stays on my mind
Jelly roll killed my pappy,
And wrung my mama stone blind.
In Jimmy Witherspoon's song Jelly Jelly, the singer is on the phone talking to his lover. He starts by saying hello and explains why he had to call her on the phone. He says he feels very lonely and he wants his baby to come home. The next verse is about his lover treating him poorly. He says it is a downright rotten and low-down dirty shame the way she is treating him. He also states that he knows he is not to blame for the way he is being treated. In the chorus of the song, the singer talks about how he can't stop thinking about jelly. He says jelly stays on his mind and he repeats it in every line of the chorus. He also adds that jelly killed his pappy and wrung his mama stone blind.
The lyrics of the song Jelly Jelly have multiple meanings. On one hand, jelly represents a dessert or a food item, but in this song, it is used as a metaphor. Jelly represents something that the singer is addicted to and can't stop thinking about. It can also be interpreted as a reference to sex. The singer is expressing his love for his partner and the addiction or obsession he feels for her.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello baby, I had to call you on the phone
I have to call you because I feel lonely and miss you
'Cause I feel so lonesome
And daddy wants his baby home
I am feeling very lonely and want you to come home to me
It's a down-right rotten,
Low down dirty shame
The way you are treating me is really bad and disgraceful
The way that you're treatin' poor me
I know I'm not to blame
I am not responsible for the way you are treating me
Jelly jelly jelly
Jelly stays on my mind
I can't stop thinking about jelly, it's always on my mind
Jelly jelly jelly
Jelly stays on my mind
My love for jelly is so strong, it's always occupying my thoughts
Jelly roll killed my pappy,
And wrung my mama stone blind.
My family suffered due to our love for jelly, my father died and my mother went blind from eating too much jelly roll
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EARL HINES, WILLIAM ECKSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind