⬇️ FLOYD DIXON ⬇️
(Jay Riggins, Jr. ?)
DISCOGRAPHY 1991-2018 (31CD)
BIOGRAPHY
Floyd Dixon (February 8, 1929 – July 26, 2006) was an American
rhythm-and-blues pianist and singer.
Dixon was born in Marshall, Texas. Some sources give his birth name as
Jay Riggins, Jr., although he himself stated that Floyd Dixon was his
real name and that his parents were Velma and Ford Dixon. Growing up, he
was influenced by blues, gospel, jazz and country music. His family
moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1942. There Dixon met Charles
Brown, who had an influence on his music.
The self-dubbed "Mr. Magnificent", Dixon signed a recording contract
with Modern Records in 1949, specializing in jump blues and sexualized
songs like "Red Cherries", "Wine Wine Wine", "Too Much Jelly Roll" and
"Baby Let's Go Down to the Woods". Both "Dallas Blues" and "Mississippi
Blues", credited to the Floyd Dixon Trio, reached the Billboard R&B
chart in 1949, as did "Sad Journey Blues", issued by Peacock Records in
1950.
Dixon replaced Charles Brown on piano and vocals in the band Johnny
Moore's Three Blazers in 1950, when Brown departed to start a solo
career. The group recorded for Aladdin Records and reached the R&B
chart with "Telephone Blues" (credited to Floyd Dixon with Johnny
Moore's Three Blazers). Staying with the record label, Dixon had a small
hit under his own name in 1952 with "Call Operator 210". He switched to
Specialty Records in 1952 and to Cat Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic
Records in 1954. "Hey Bartender" (later covered by the Blues Brothers)
and "Hole in the Wall" were released during this time.
In the 1970s Dixon left the music industry for a quieter life in Texas,
though he did occasional tours in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1984 he was
commissioned to write "Olympic Blues" for the 1984 Summer
Olympics.
In 1993, Dixon received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues
Foundation. In the mid-1990s, he secured a contract with Alligator
Records, releasing the critically acclaimed album Wake Up and
Live.
On June 1 and 2, 2006, Dixon hosted a concert with Pinetop Perkins and
Henry Gray, celebrating the intergenerational aspect of blues piano. The
band was led by Kid Ramos and included Larry Taylor and Richard
"Bigfoot" Innes. Kim Wilson, Fred Kaplan (from the Hollywood Blue
Flames) and Lynwood Slim also performed. This concert was recorded and
released on the DVD Time Brings About a Change by HighJohn Records on
March 6, 2013.
Dixon died of kidney failure in Orange County, California, in July
2006, at the age of 77, having suffered from cancer. A public memorial
service was held in Grace Chapel, at the Inglewood Park Cemetery.
(Wikipedia)
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