Song:Ain't Nobody's Business
Album:Blues Masters Vol. 1: Urban Blues
The 1949 hit Ain't Nobody's Business was the signature tune for blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon. He's another blues artist who had a much larger following in Europe. He was born Aug. 8, 1920 in Gurdon, AR and grew up singing in church. He first attracted attention singing in Teddy Weatherford's band on Armed Forces Radio during WWII. He first recorded in 1945 with legendary Kansas City jazz pianist Jay McShann. His first solo recordings were with the McShann band in 1949 and the #1 R & B hit Ain't Nobody's Business was the result. The song is a blues standard and was first recorded by Alberta Hunter in 1923. Bessie Smith was among others to record it. But Witherspoon popularized the song. I've featured this Rhino various artists comp in the past. It is highly recommended to blues beginners. Witherspoon's style of blues shouting was not in vogue in the 50s but he made a big comeback in 1959 with a live recording at the Monterey Jazz Festival. He had a much larger following in England and in the 60s recorded frequently with British sax player Dick Morrissey. In the 70s he recorded with Eric Burdon and later on formed a band with Robben Ford. He also worked as a DJ in Los Angeles and worked with British record producer Mike Vernon. Though he was diagnosed with throat cancer in the 80s, Jimmy Witherspoon continued to perform until his death on Sept. 18, 1997 at age 77. Here's Jimmy Witherspoon performing Ain't Nobody's Business on a 60s TV show.
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