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Willie Dixon

The greatest blues songwriter of his era, more than anyone else he contributed to the creation of Chicago blues. Amazingly prolific, he has been called the "poet laureate of the blues". Dixon produced, arranged, and played bass on sessions for Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Otis Rush, Bo Diddley, Little Milton, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson and many others.

William James Dixon was born in 1915 in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Moving to Chicago in the 1930s he took up boxing, and won the Golden Gloves heavyweight title in 1936. After the war, he formed the Big Three Trio, which recorded for Colombia Records, the first group to bring harmony singing to the blues. He then moved to Chess Records, first as a performer and later as a permanent employee.

Working with Chess between 1948 and the early 1960s, he composed, performed live, recorded with many of the Chess artists, and helped produce many singles and albums. He had a genius for converting folk blues themes into contemporary R&B forms. Some of his classics include "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I'm Ready" and "I Just Want To Make Love To You" for Muddy Waters, "Backdoor Man", "Spoonful" and "I Ain't Superstitious" for Howlin' Wolf, and "My Babe" for Little Walter.

His first album as a solo artist was "Willie's Blues" (1960), which was not followed by another solo album until 1970, with "I Am The Blues". Later he issued a series of albums through to the Grammy award winning "Hidden Charms" in 1988.

Willie Dixon was also a great organizer, in later years putting together many all star Chicago Blues ensembles for tours in Europe. He founded the Blues Heaven Foundation, which works to assist in documentation and promotion of the blues, supporting prominent and less well-known blues artists, conducting blues clinics and making instrumental donations to elementary and secondary school children.

Willie Dixon died in 1992 aged 86, and was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

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