Eddie Vinson
Template:Short description Template:Infobox musical artist Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (born Edward L. Vinson Jr.; December 18, 1917 – July 2, 1988) was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter.<ref name="Music">Template:Cite book</ref> He was nicknamed "Cleanhead" after an incident in which his hair was accidentally removed by lye contained in a hair-straightening product, necessitating shaving it off; enamoured of the look, Vinson maintained a shaved head thereafter.<ref>Otis, Johnny. Upside Your Head!: Rhythm and Blues on Central Avenue, Wesleyan University Press, p. 34 (1993) - Template:ISBN</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Music critic Robert Christgau has called Vinson "one of the cleanest, and nastiest, blues voices you'll ever hear."<ref name="CG">Template:Cite book</ref>
Biography
Vinson was born in Houston, Texas.<ref name="Larkin">Template:Cite book</ref> He started out with Milton Larkin's orchestra in the 1930s.<ref name="Larkin"/> At various times, he was with Tom Archia, while other members of the band included Cedric Haywood and Wild Bill Davis. He then played for Big Bill Broonzy.<ref name="Larkin"/> During the 1940s, he was with the Cootie Williams Orchestra. He recorded such tunes as "Cherry Red".<ref>Vladimir, Bogdanov. All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues, Backbeat Books, pg. 571 (2002); Template:ISBN</ref>
There is some controversy over who composed "Four".<ref>Koster, Rick. Texas Music, St. Martin's Press, pg. 319 (2000); Template:ISBN</ref>
He died aged 70 in 1988, from a heart attack while undergoing chemotherapy,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in Los Angeles, California.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Discography
| Year | Title | Notes | Genre | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Clean Head's Back in Town | with Joe Newman, Henry Coker, Bill Graham, Frank Foster, Paul Quinichette, Charlie Rouse, Charles Fowlkes, Nat Pierce, Freddie Green, Turk Van Lake, Ed Jones, Gus Johnson, Ed Thigpen | Blues, Jazz | Bethlehem; Charly |
| 1962 | Back Door Blues | with Cannonball Adderley Quintet; some tracks and alternate takes released as Cleanhead & Cannonball on Landmark | Blues, Jazz | Riverside; Fresh Sound |
| 1967 | Cherry Red | with Mike Bloomfield | Blues | ABC/Bluesway; One Way |
| 1969 | Kidney Stew is Fine | with T-Bone Walker and Jay McShann; also released as Wee Baby Blues on Black & Blue | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz | Delmark |
| 1969 [1984] | Live! in France | with Jay McShann | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz | Black & Blue |
| 1970 | The Original Cleanhead | with Artie Butler, David Cohen, Joe Pass, Arthur Wright, Earl Palmer, Plas Johnson | Blues | Bluestime/Flying Dutchman; Ace |
| 1971 | You Can't Make Love Alone | Live at the 1971 Montreux Jazz Festival | Blues | Mega/Flying Dutchman |
| 1974 [1975] | Jamming the Blues | Live in Montreux | Blues | Black Lion |
| 1978 | The "Clean" Machine | with Lloyd Glenn | Blues, Jazz | Muse |
| 1978 [1981] | Live at Sandy's (Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and the Muse All Stars) | with Arnett Cobb and Buddy Tate | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz | Muse 5208 |
| 1978 [1984] | Hold It Right There! (Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and the Muse All Stars) | with Arnett Cobb and Buddy Tate | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz | Muse 5243 |
| 1979 [2003] | Redux: Live at the Keystone Korner | with Larry Vuckovich | Blues, Jazz | Savant |
| 1980 | Kansas City Shout | with Count Basie and Big Joe Turner | Blues, Jazz | Pablo |
| 1980 | Fun in London | with John Burch, Lennie Bush, Bobby Orr | Blues, Jazz | JSP |
| 1981 | I Want a Little Girl | with Art Hillery, Cal Green, John Heard, Roy McCurdy, Martin Banks, Rashid Jamal Ali | Blues, Jazz | Pablo |
| 1982 | Mr. Cleanhead's Back in Town | with Stan Greig, Les Davidson, Paul Sealey, Martin Guy | Blues, Jazz | JSP |
| 1982 | Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson & Roomful of Blues | with Roomful of Blues | Blues, Jump Blues | Muse; Rockbeat |
| 1986 | Blues in the Night Volume One: The Early Show | Live in Los Angeles with Etta James | Blues | Fantasy |
| 1986 [1987] | The Late Show: Blues in the Night, Volume 2 | Live in Los Angeles with Etta James | Blues | Fantasy |
| 1987 | Oscar Peterson + Harry Edison + Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson | with Oscar Peterson and Harry "Sweets" Edison | Jazz | Pablo |
| 1996 | Kidney Stew (The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions) | with T-Bone Walker and Jay McShann | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz | Black & Blue |
| 2003 | Bald Headed Blues (His Complete King Recordings 1949-1952) | compilation | Jump Blues | Ace |
| 2006 | Honk for Texas (1942–1954) | with Cootie Williams and Big Jim Wynn; 4-CD box set; compilation | Jump Blues | JSP |
| 2007 | Blues, Boogie & Bebop – Meat's Too High | compilation of Fun in London and Mr. Cleanhead's Back in Town | Blues, Jazz | JSP |
| 2008 | Jumpin' the Blues (The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions) | with Jay McShann | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz | Black & Blue |
| 2019 | Mr. Cleanhead Blows His Greatest Hits (Selected Singles 1944-1950) | compilation | Jump Blues | Jasmine |
With Oliver Nelson
- Swiss Suite (Flying Dutchman, 1971 [rel. 1972])
With Arnett Cobb and the Muse All Stars
- Live at Sandy's! (Muse 5191, 1978 [rel. 1980])
- More Arnett Cobb and the Muse All Stars (Live at Sandy's!) (Muse 5236, 1978 [rel. 1983])
With Buddy Tate and the Muse All Stars
- Live at Sandy's (Muse 5198, 1978 [rel. 1980])
- Hard Blowin' (Live at Sandy's) (Muse 5249, 1978 [rel. 1984])
With Helen Humes and the Muse All Stars
- Helen Humes and the Muse All Stars (Muse 5217, 1978 [rel. 1980]) - with Arnett Cobb and Buddy Tate
References
External links
- 1917 births
- 1988 deaths
- 20th-century American male singers
- 20th-century American saxophonists
- 20th-century American singers
- American blues singers
- American jazz alto saxophonists
- American male jazz musicians
- American male saxophonists
- American rhythm and blues musicians
- Bebop saxophonists
- Black & Blue Records artists
- Black Lion Records artists
- Jazz musicians from Houston
- Jazz musicians from Texas
- JSP Records artists
- Jump blues musicians
- Muse Records artists
- Musicians from Houston
- New York blues musicians
- Pablo Records artists
- Rhythm and blues saxophonists
- West Coast blues musicians
- Jump blues saxophonists