Similar Artists:
Jackie Brenston,
Joe Turner,
Tab Smith,
Lucky Millinder,
Bill Doggett,
Earl Bostic,
Amos Milburn,
Floyd Dixon,
Larry Dale,
Jimmy Preston,
Sonny Thompson,
Ella Johnson,
Nellie Lutcher,
Paul Gayten
Influenced By:
Followers:
- Born: October 14, 1922, Newby, OK
- Died: July 18, 1983, Durham, NC
- Active: '40s, '50s
- Genres: Blues
- Instrument: Vocals, Guitar
- Representative Albums: "Rough Weather Blues, Vol. 2," "Jimmy Liggins and His Drops of Joy," "Saturday Night Boogie Woogie Man"
- Representative Songs: "Drunk," "Cadillac Boogie," "Don't Put Me Down"
Biography
Another of the jump blues specialists whose romping output can be pinpointed as a direct precursor of rock & roll, guitarist Jimmy Liggins was a far more aggressive bandleader than his older brother Joe, right down to the names of their respective combos (Joe led the polished Honeydrippers; Jimmy proudly fronted the Drops of Joy).Inspired by the success of his brother (Jimmy toiled as Joe's chauffeur for a year), the ex-pugilist jumped into the recording field in 1947 on Art Rupe's Specialty logo. His "Tear Drop Blues" pierced the R&B Top Ten the next year, while "Careful Love" and "Don't Put Me Down" hit for him in 1949. But it's Liggins's rough-and-ready rockers -- "Cadillac Boogie," "Saturday Night Boogie Woogie Man," and the loopy one-chord workout "Drunk" (his last smash in 1953) -- that mark Liggins as one of rock's forefathers. His roaring sax section at Specialty was populated by first-rate reedmen such as Harold Land, Charlie "Little Jazz" Ferguson, and the omnipresent Maxwell Davis.
Liggins left Specialty in 1954, stopping off at Aladdin long enough to wax the classic-to-be "I Ain't Drunk" (much later covered by Albert Collins) before fading from the scene. ~ Bill Dahl, All Music Guide
