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.[1] 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.[2][3] Music critic Robert Christgau has called Vinson "one of the cleanest, and nastiest, blues voices you'll ever hear."[4]
Eddie Vinson | |
|---|---|
 Vinson in May 1980. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edward L. Vinson Jr. |
| Also known as | Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson |
| Born | December 18, 1917 Houston, Texas, United States |
| Died | July 2, 1988 (aged 70) Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genres | Jump blues,[1] R&B,[1] jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Saxophonist, singer, composer |
| Years active | 1930s–1988 |
| Labels | King Records, Mercury, Black & Blue, ABC-BluesWay, Muse |
Biography
editVinson was born in Houston, Texas.[5] He started out with Milton Larkin's orchestra in the 1930s.[5] 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.[5] During the 1940s, he was with the Cootie Williams Orchestra. He recorded such tunes as "Cherry Red".[6]
There is some controversy over who composed "Four".[7]
He died aged 70 in 1988, from a heart attack while undergoing chemotherapy,[8] in Los Angeles, California.
Discography
edit| 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
edit- ^ a b c Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The IllustratedEncyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 181. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
- ^ Otis, Johnny. Upside Your Head!: Rhythm and Blues on Central Avenue, Wesleyan University Press, p. 34 (1993) - ISBN 0-8195-6287-4
- ^ "Vinson Eddie "Cleanhead"". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: V". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 21, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 1219–20. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
- ^ Vladimir, Bogdanov. All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues, Backbeat Books, pg. 571 (2002); ISBN 0-87930-736-6
- ^ Koster, Rick. Texas Music, St. Martin's Press, pg. 319 (2000); ISBN 0-312-25425-3
- ^ Doc Rock. "The 1980s". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved 2015-10-07.