floyd dixon

Biography

Floyd Dixon (February 8, 1929 – July 26, 2006) was an American rhythm-and-blues pianist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the key exponents of West Coast jump blues and postwar boogie-woogie piano.[1][3] Born in Marshall, Texas, near the Louisiana border, he grew up hearing blues, gospel, jazz, and country music and taught himself piano as a child.[1][3][7][8] Some later sources give his birth name as Jay Riggins Jr., but Dixon himself maintained that Floyd Dixon was his real name and that his parents were Velma and Ford Dixon.[1] His family moved to Los Angeles in 1942, where the teenaged Dixon began entering amateur talent contests and immersing himself in the city’s vibrant club scene.[1][2][3] In Los Angeles he met pianist-singer Charles Brown, who became both a mentor and a major musical influence, helping to shape Dixon’s smooth but hard-swinging style.[1][3]

By the late 1940s Dixon had signed with Modern Records, billing himself as “Mr. Magnificent” and specializing in driving jump blues and often risqué material such as “Red Cherries,” “Wine Wine Wine,” “Too Much Jelly Roll,” and “Baby Let’s Go Down to the Woods.”[1][4] He scored early R&B chart hits with “Dallas Blues” and “Mississippi Blues” (1949, as the Floyd Dixon Trio) and “Sad Journey Blues” (1950, on Peacock).[1][3][4] In 1950 he replaced his former mentor Charles Brown as pianist and vocalist in Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers, recording for Aladdin Records and reaching the charts with “Telephone Blues,” credited to Floyd Dixon with Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers.[1][3] Staying with Aladdin, he had another hit under his own name with “Call Operator 210” in 1952.[1][3] Over the early 1950s he recorded for several labels—Modern, Supreme, Peacock, Aladdin, Specialty, and Atlantic’s Cat imprint—releasing signature titles such as “Hey Bartender” and “Hole in the Wall,” with “Hey Bartender” later revived to new fame by the Blues Brothers in the 1970s.[1][2][3]

As rock ’n’ roll and soul began to eclipse jump blues in the mid-1950s and 1960s, Dixon’s commercial profile declined, and he eventually withdrew from full-time performing, returning to Texas in the 1970s for a quieter life while still accepting occasional tours.[1][2][3] A resurgence of interest in classic R&B and jump blues led to a European comeback in the late 1970s, and in 1984 he was commissioned to write “Olympic Blues” for the Los Angeles Olympic Games.[1][2][3] Dixon’s contributions were formally recognized when he received the Rhythm & Blues Foundation’s Pioneer Career Achievement Award in 1993, and his Alligator Records release Wake Up and Live! (1996) earned the W.C. Handy Award for comeback album of the year in 1997.[3] He continued recording and performing into the 2000s, cutting Fine! Fine! Thing! in 2005 and touring with fellow blues piano great Pinetop Perkins in 2006; performances from just weeks before his death were later issued as Time Brings About a Change… A Floyd Dixon Celebration.[3] Dixon died of kidney failure on July 26, 2006, in Orange, California, leaving a legacy as a bridge between smooth West Coast blues, swinging boogie-woogie, and the emerging rhythm-and-blues sound that helped pave the way for rock ’n’ roll.[1][2][3]

Fun Facts

• Dixon nicknamed himself “Mr. Magnificent”, a moniker that appeared in publicity and underscored his confident, showman persona on the West Coast jump-blues circuit.[1][5]
• His best-known song “Hey Bartender” was not a major hit at the time of its 1954 release, but it became a cult classic decades later when the Blues Brothers adopted it in their live sets and recordings, bringing Dixon renewed attention.[2][3]
• In 1984, long after his commercial peak, Dixon was commissioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee to write “Olympic Blues” for the Los Angeles Summer Games, a rare instance of a classic R&B pianist creating music for a modern global sporting event.[1][2][3]
• Dixon’s 1996 album “Wake Up and Live!” on Alligator Records won the W.C. Handy Award for comeback album of the year in 1997, highlighting one of the more celebrated late-career resurgences in blues piano.[3]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Charles Brown - Established West Coast blues pianist-singer who discovered Dixon at an amateur contest in Los Angeles, became a major stylistic influence, and served as both model and predecessor in the smooth, piano-led club blues style. (Influence reflected in Dixon’s early R&B hits such as “Dallas Blues,” “Sad Journey Blues,” “Telephone Blues,” and “Call Operator 210,” recorded after Brown encouraged him.[1][3]) [Mid– to late 1940s and early 1950s]
• Johnny Otis - Los Angeles bandleader who, after hearing Dixon in local amateur contests, encouraged him to pursue a recording contract, helping him enter the R&B recording scene. (Encouragement leading up to Dixon’s first recordings and his contract with Modern Records, including “Dallas Blues” (1949).) [Late 1940s[2]]

Key Collaborators

• Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers - Popular West Coast R&B trio with whom Dixon worked as pianist and vocalist after replacing Charles Brown; they recorded together for Aladdin Records and appeared on the R&B charts. (“Telephone Blues” (credited to Floyd Dixon with Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers) and other Aladdin sides in the early 1950s.[1][3]) [Circa 1950–early 1950s]
• Johnny Moore - Guitarist and leader of Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers; Dixon collaborated with him as the group’s featured singer and pianist on West Coast jump blues and club ballads. (Collaborative recordings for Aladdin Records, notably “Telephone Blues.”[1][3]) [Circa 1950–early 1950s]
• Pinetop Perkins - Veteran blues and boogie-woogie pianist with whom Dixon toured late in his career, presenting multi-piano blues shows that highlighted their shared tradition. (Joint tour in 2006; performances from this period are part of the material later released as Time Brings About a Change… A Floyd Dixon Celebration.[3]) [2006]

Artists Influenced

• The Blues Brothers (John Belushi & Dan Aykroyd) - Their regular performances and recording of Dixon’s “Hey Bartender” helped reintroduce his music to a new rock and R&B audience, contributing to his 1970s–80s revival. (Cover and live performances of “Hey Bartender,” originally written and recorded by Dixon in 1954 for Cat Records.[2][3]) [Late 1970s–1980s]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Hey, Bartender (Wake Up And Live!)
2. 450 Pound Woman (Wake Up And Live!)
3. Hey Bartender (Marshall Texas Is My Home)
4. I Wanna Rock Now (Wake Up And Live!)
5. Skeet's California Sunshine (Wake Up And Live!)
6. You Know That'll Get It (Wake Up And Live!)
7. Wine, Wine, Wine (His Complete Aladdin Recordings)
8. A Dream (Wake Up And Live!)
9. Rockin' At Home (Wake Up And Live!)
10. Getting' Ready (Wake Up And Live!)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia