Willie Dixon Adulthood
what was his adulthood like?
What was Willie Dixon’s adulthood like?
Dixon left Mississippi for Chicago in 1936. A man of considerable stature, standing 6 and a half feet tall and weighing over 250 pounds, he took up boxing, at which he was successful, winning the Illinois State Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship (Novice Division) in 1937. He became a professional boxer and worked briefly as Joe Louis's sparring partner, but after four fights he left boxing in a dispute with his manager over money.  Dixon met Leonard Caston at a boxing gym, where they would harmonize at times. Dixon performed in several vocal groups in Chicago, but it was Caston that persuaded him to pursue music seriously. Caston built him his first bass, made of a tin can and one string. Dixon's experience singing bass made the instrument familiar. He also learned to play the guitar.  In 1939, Dixon was a founding member of the Five Breezes, with Caston, Joe Bell, Gene Gilmore and Willie Hawthorne. The group blended blues, jazz, and vocal harmonies, in the mode of the Ink Spots. Dixon's progress on the upright bass came to an abrupt halt with the advent of World War II, when he refused induction into military service as a conscientious objector and was imprisoned for ten months. He refused to go to war because he would not fight for a nation in which institutionalized racism and racist laws were prevalent. After the war, he formed a group named the Four Jumps of Jive. He then reunited with Caston, forming the Big Three Trio, which went on to record for Columbia Records. CANNOTANSWER
Dixon performed in several vocal groups in Chicago,
William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he is perhaps best known as one of the most prolific songwriters of his time. Next to Muddy Waters, Dixon is recognized as the most influential person in shaping the post–World War II sound of the Chicago blues.

Dixon's songs have been recorded by countless musicians in many genres as well as by various ensembles in which he participated. A short list of his most famous compositions includes "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "Little Red Rooster", "My Babe", "Spoonful", and "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover". These songs were written during the peak years of Chess Records, from 1950 to 1965, and were performed by Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, and Bo Diddley; they influenced a generation of musicians worldwide.

Dixon was an important link between the blues and rock and roll, working with Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley in the late 1950s. In the 1960s, his songs were adapted by numerous rock artists. He received a Grammy Award and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Biography

Early life
Dixon was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on July 1, 1915.  He was one of fourteen children. His mother, Daisy, often rhymed things she said, a habit her son imitated. At the age of seven, young Dixon became an admirer of a band that featured pianist Little Brother Montgomery. He sang his first song at Springfield Baptist Church at the age of four. Dixon was first introduced to blues when he served time on prison farms in Mississippi as a young teenager. Later in his teens, he learned to sing harmony from a local carpenter, Theo Phelps, who led a gospel quintet, the Union Jubilee Singers, in which Dixon sang bass; the group regularly performed on the Vicksburg radio station WQBC. He began adapting his poems into songs and even sold some to local music groups.

Adulthood
Dixon left Mississippi for Chicago in 1936. A man of considerable stature, standing 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighing over 250 pounds, he took up boxing, at which he was successful, winning the Illinois State Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship (Novice Division) in 1937. He became a professional boxer and worked briefly as Joe Louis's sparring partner, but after four fights he left boxing in a dispute with his manager over money.

Dixon met Leonard Caston at a boxing gym, where they would harmonize at times. Dixon performed in several vocal groups in Chicago, but it was Caston that persuaded him to pursue music seriously. Caston built him his first bass, made of a tin can and one string. Dixon's experience singing bass made the instrument familiar. He also learned to play the guitar.

In 1939, Dixon was a founding member of the Five Breezes, with Caston, Joe Bell, Gene Gilmore and Willie Hawthorne. The group blended blues, jazz, and vocal harmonies, in the mode of the Ink Spots. Dixon's progress on the upright bass came to an abrupt halt with the advent of World War II, when he refused induction into military service as a conscientious objector and was imprisoned for ten months. He refused to go to war because he would not fight for a nation in which institutionalized racism and racist laws were prevalent. After the war, he formed a group named the Four Jumps of Jive. He then reunited with Caston, forming the Big Three Trio, which went on to record for Columbia Records.

Pinnacle of career

Dixon signed with Chess Records as a recording artist, but he began performing less, being more involved with administrative tasks for the label. By 1951, he was a full-time employee at Chess, where he acted as producer, talent scout, session musician and staff songwriter. He was also a producer for the Chess subsidiary Checker Records. His relationship with Chess was sometimes strained, but he stayed with the label from 1948 to the early 1960s. During this time Dixon's output and influence were prodigious. From late 1956 to early 1959, he worked in a similar capacity for Cobra Records, for which he produced early singles for Otis Rush, Magic Sam, and Buddy Guy. In 1956, Dixon wrote "Fishin' in My Pond", which was recorded by Lee Jackson, and released on Cobra in February 1957. Dixon later recorded for Bluesville Records. From the late 1960s until the mid-1970s, Dixon ran his own record label, Yambo Records, and two subsidiary labels, Supreme and Spoonful. He released his 1971 album, Peace?, on Yambo and also singles by McKinley Mitchell, Lucky Peterson and others.

Dixon is considered one of the key figures in the creation of Chicago blues. He worked with Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Otis Rush, Bo Diddley, Joe Louis Walker, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Koko Taylor, Little Milton, Eddie Boyd, Jimmy Witherspoon, Lowell Fulson, Willie Mabon, Memphis Slim, Washboard Sam, Jimmy Rogers, Sam Lay and others.

In December 1964, the Rolling Stones reached number one on the UK Singles Chart with their cover of Dixon's "Little Red Rooster". In the same year, the group also covered "I Just Want To Make Love To You" on their debut album, The Rolling Stones.

Copyright battles
In his later years, Dixon became a tireless ambassador for the blues and a vocal advocate for its practitioners, founding the Blues Heaven Foundation, which works to preserve the legacy of the blues and to secure copyrights and royalties for blues musicians who were exploited in the past. Speaking with the simple eloquence that was a hallmark of his songs, Dixon claimed, "The blues are the roots and the other musics are the fruits. It's better keeping the roots alive, because it means better fruits from now on. The blues are the roots of all American music. As long as American music survives, so will the blues."
In 1977, unhappy with the small royalties paid by Chess's publishing company, Arc Music, Dixon and Muddy Waters sued Arc and, with the proceeds from the settlement, founded their own publishing company, Hoochie Coochie Music.

In 1987, Dixon reached an out-of-court settlement with the rock band Led Zeppelin after suing for plagiarism in the band's use of his music in "Bring It On Home" and lyrics from his composition "You Need Love" (1962) in the band's recording of "Whole Lotta Love".

Death and legacy
Dixon's health increasingly deteriorated during the 1970s and the 1980s, primarily as a result of long-term diabetes. Eventually one of his legs was amputated.

Dixon was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980, in the inaugural session of the Blues Foundation's ceremony. In 1989 he received a Grammy Award for his album Hidden Charms.

Dixon died of heart failure on January 29, 1992, in Burbank, California, and was buried in Burr Oak Cemetery, in Alsip, Illinois. After his death, his widow, Marie Dixon, took over the Blues Heaven Foundation and moved the headquarters to Chess Records. Dixon was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the category Early Influences (pre-rock) in 1994. On April 28, 2013, both Dixon and his grandson Alex Dixon were inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame.

In 2007, Dixon was honored with a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in Vicksburg.

The actor and comedian Cedric the Entertainer portrayed Dixon in Cadillac Records, a 2008 film based on the early history of Chess Records.

Songs

Dixon wrote or co-wrote over 500 songs. Several have become blues standards, including "Help Me", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Can't Quit You Baby", "I'm Ready", "Little Red Rooster", "My Babe", and "Spoonful". Other Dixon compositions that reached the record charts include "Evil" (Howlin' Wolf), "I Just Want to Make Love to You" (Muddy Waters), "Pretty Thing" (Bo Diddley), "The Seventh Son" (Willie Mabon), "Wang Dang Doodle" (Koko Taylor), and "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover" (Bo Diddley).

In the 1960s, his songs were adapted by numerous rock artists; many recorded at least one of his songs for their debut albums, including: Jeff Beck ("I Ain't Superstitious", "You Shook Me"); the Blues Project ("Back Door Man", "Spoonful"); Canned Heat ("Evil Is Going On"); Cactus ("You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover"); Cream ("Spoonful"); the Doors ("Back Door Man"); Foghat ("I Just Want to Make Love to You"); Hawkwind ("Bring It on Home"); Led Zeppelin ("I Can't Quit You Baby", "You Shook Me"); Pretty Things ("Pretty Thing"); the Rolling Stones ("I Just Want to Make Love to You"); Siegel–Schwall Band ("Hoochie Coochie Man"); Shadows of Knight ("You Can't Judge a Book by Looking at the Cover", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "Hoochie Coochie Man"); Steppenwolf ("Hoochie Coochie Man"); Ten Years After ("Spoonful", "Help Me"); and Johnny Winter ("Help Me").

Discography

Albums

Notes

References

Sources

 Dixon, Willie (1992). Willie Dixon: Master Blues Composer, with Notes and Tablature. Hal Leonard. .

External links

 
 
 
 Willie Dixon, Mississippi blues musician. Mississippi Writers and Musicians Project of Starkville High School
 Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation
 Willie Dixon's Official Website

1915 births
1992 deaths
African-American guitarists
American amputees
American blues guitarists
American male guitarists
American blues singer-songwriters
American conscientious objectors
American double-bassists
Male double-bassists
American music arrangers
Record producers from Illinois
American session musicians
Blues musicians from Mississippi
Checker Records artists
Cobra Records artists
Chicago blues musicians
Grammy Award winners
Jive singers
Jump blues musicians
Musicians from Vicksburg, Mississippi
Singer-songwriters from Mississippi
20th-century American businesspeople
20th-century American guitarists
Singer-songwriters from Illinois
Slap bassists (double bass)
Guitarists from Illinois
Guitarists from Mississippi
Burials at Burr Oak Cemetery
20th-century double-bassists
20th-century American male musicians
Male jazz musicians
Mississippi Blues Trail
African-American male singer-songwriters
20th-century African-American male singers
Sarah's Scribbles is a webcomic by Sarah Andersen started in 2011. Andersen initially published the webcomic on Tumblr, but has since released it on various services, such as Facebook, Instagram, Tapas and her own website. Sarah's Scribbles follows Andersen's experiences as a millennial and focuses on themes such as adulthood and maturity. The comic receives millions of views on the Tapas platform and has won multiple Goodreads Choice Awards and a Ringo Award. Andersen has published three print collections of the webcomic: Adulthood is a Myth; Big Mushy Happy Lump; and Herding Cats.

Overview 
Sarah's Scribbles focuses on adulthood and the maturity of the millennial generation. Andersen described millennials as "liking to laugh at themselves," making common use of self-deprecating humour. The Independent described Sarah's Scribbles as "relatable comics capturing the dilemmas of a bug-eyed millennial who feels ill-equipped for grown-up life." The webcomic is semi-autobiographical, following Andersen's experiences as well as those of her friends and pets. Andersen has said that the main character is "technically" called Sarah, as the character is her, but she avoids using her name, saying: "I feel like people project themselves onto her... I feel like calling her Sarah within the panels has this strange effect of making her more of an individual and less relatable." Andersen has deliberately chosen not to publish photographs of her face, instead opting to present herself through her black-haired character.

Andersen's webcomic follows the messy-haired protagonist, who has to deal with social anxiety, body image issues and laziness. One comic shows Andersen 'borrowing' a sweater from her boyfriend; other topics include being made to feel inadequate by fitness fanatics, dreading Mondays, considering matching socks an achievement while former school friends raise children. The comic also satirizes toxic masculinity. Andersen said in 2016 she mainly gains inspiration from her own life and from seeing what people on the internet are thinking and feeling.

Development 

Andersen started creating and uploading Sarah's Scribbles on Tumblr in 2013. She was studying at the Maryland Institute College of Art at the time, and after she graduated in 2014 she worked on the webcomic full-time. According to Andersen, the comic was originally called Doodle Time, but GoComics asked Andersen to change the name when they syndicated it. Andersen has said that publishing Sarah's Scribbles as a webcomic allows her to observe the reactions of her readership in real time, which she said allows her to do a better job. Andersen's webcomic has a five-panel format, which Andersen developed because it worked well with the scroll display of Tumblr and continues to work well on other websites, such as Instagram.

In March 2016, Andersen released a print collection of Sarah's Scribbles comics titled Adulthood is a Myth. The book was published by Andrews McMeel Publishing. A follow-up was published in March 2017, titled Big Mushy Happy Lump, and a third volume, Herding Cats was released in March 2018, all from the same publisher. She has also released a calendar and planner featuring her comics. The first book, Adulthood is a Myth, has been translated into multiple languages, and there are several fan translations of the webcomic.

Andersen said that she is often asked what the character of Sarah "would be like all grown up", and has said that "in some ways Fangs [another comic by Andersen] has the answer."

Reception 
Sarah's Scribbles was the second-most read comic on the Tapas platform in 2019, with 46.9 million views and 176,000 subscribers.

Every Sarah's Scribbles book has won the Goodreads Choice Award in the "Graphic Novel & Comics" category, winning in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The webcomic won the Ringo Award for Best Comic Strip or Panel in 2018, and was nominated for Best Comic Strip or Panel and for Best Cartoonist in 2020.

The Independent has described her first book as "hilarious" and "relatable" and her webcomic as capturing the horrible realization that being a grown-up is pretty awful. The Beat said of Sarah's Scribbles, "bottom line, people like a short laugh that reflects their live as it is lived."

References

External links 
 
 Sarah's Scribbles on Tapastic
 Sarah's Scribbles on GoComics
 Sarah's Scribbles on Webtoon

2010s webcomics
2011 webcomic debuts
2016 graphic novels
Tapastic webcomics Larry Audlaluk (born 1953) is an Inuk activist and writer from Canada, whose memoir What I Remember, What I Know: The Life of a High Arctic Exile was a shortlisted finalist for the Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction at the 2021 Governor General's Awards.

Born in Inukjuak, Quebec, Audlaluk's family was one of several who were forcibly relocated by the Canadian government to Grise Fiord, Nunavut in the High Arctic relocation incident of the 1950s. His family struggled through poverty; Audlaluk sustained an eye injury in childhood and suffered pain for nearly four years before the federal government finally flew him to Montreal for medical treatment. 

Audlaluk emerged as a community leader in adulthood, and testified about his experiences to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples in 1993. In 2007 he was inducted as a Member of the Order of Canada to honor his record of community service in Grise Fiord.

What I Remember, What I Know was published in 2020. In addition to the Governor General's Awards, the book was also shortlisted for the 2021 J. W. Dafoe Book Prize.

References

1953 births
Living people
21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers
21st-century Canadian male writers
Canadian male non-fiction writers
Canadian memoirists
Canadian activists
Members of the Order of Canada
Inuit from Quebec
Inuit from Nunavut
Inuit writers
Writers from Quebec
Writers from Nunavut
People from Grise Fiord