Willie Dixon Adulthood what was his adulthood like? Dixon performed in several vocal groups in Chicago,
who did he sing with?
Which vocal groups in Chicago did Willie Dixon sing with?
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
In 1939, Dixon was a founding member of the Five Breezes, with Caston, Joe Bell, Gene Gilmore and Willie Hawthorne.
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
I Love to Sing the Songs I Sing is the self-produced ninth album by American R&B singer Barry White, released in 1979 on the 20th Century-Fox Records label.

I Love to Sing the Songs I Sing fulfilled White's 20th Century-Fox Records contract. White was increasingly dissatisfied with that label's management when Russ Regan left the label to form Millennium Records and felt that he was being ignored in terms of promotion at the time. He then left the company and signed a custom label contract with CBS Records to release future material under his own Unlimited Gold imprint.  White's first album on his new label, The Message Is Love, was released seven months and six days after I Love to Sing the Songs I Sing.  With attention and interest focused on his well-publicized CBS deal, I Love to Sing the Songs I Sing passed by largely unnoticed.  It was the least successful album of his 20th Century career, only reaching #40 on the R&B chart, which six of his eight previous albums had topped. None of the single releases made any impact either.

Track listing 
 "I Love to Sing the Songs I Sing" (Barry White, Paul Politi, Frank Wilson) - 2:50
 "Girl, What's Your Name" (White, Danny Pearson, Wilson) - 4:08
 "Once Upon a Time (You Were a Friend of Mine)" (Rahn Coleman) - 6:01
 "Oh Me, Oh My (I'm Such a Lucky Guy)" (White, Wilson, Politi, Raymond Cooksey) - 5:04
 "I Can't Leave You Alone" (White, Tony Sepe, Wilson) - 3:25
 "Call Me Baby" (Coleman) - 8:04
 "How Did You Know It Was Me?" (Coleman) - 6:47

Personnel
Barry White - lead vocals, arranger
John Roberts, Ronald Coleman - orchestration 
Technical
Frank Kejmar, Paul Elmore - engineer
Glen Christensen - art direction, design

Singles 
 "I Love to Sing the Songs I Sing" (US R&B #53)
 "How Did You Know It Was Me?" (US R&B #64)

References

Barry White albums
1979 albums
20th Century Fox Records albums King of Robbery is a 1996 Hong Kong action film directed by Billy Chung and starring Simon Yam. The film is based on the story of notorious gangsters Yip Kai Foon, who is portrayed in the film as Chan Sing by Yam.

Plot
Convict Chan Sing (Simon Yam) escapes from an asylum in Kwai Chung with the help of his underlings Leung (Marco Ngai) and Hak (Philip Keung), killing the police officers who are in charge of watching him and evades arrest by hoping onto the speedboat of another underling, Wo (Roy Cheung). They meet with goldsmith Boss Chung and strike a deal to rob gold jewelry shops and split the shares. When his underlings bring him to their apartment, Sing notices Fan (Anita Lee) living next door and is attracted to her. Sing then purchases firearms from Hak's cousin, Darky, which include an AK-47, which Sing gains a fondness to. Sing later accepts two new underlings, Chung (Chin Ka-lok) and Sing but not before testing whether they are undercover police officers by beating them up. The next day, Wo brings Chung to witness the former killing a traitor who caused Sing to be arrested.

Sing, armed with his AK-47, leads his gang to rob five gold jewelry shops on Man Wah Street which leads to a major gunfight killing multiple policeman. Hot-tempered police inspector Lee (Bowie Lam) becomes determined to arrest Sing. While Sing was hanging in a nightclub with his gang, Chung, who turns out to be an undercover cop, sneaks out to call his boss, Officer Cheung, but Lee and his subordinate, Man, arrive at this time and harass Chung, unaware of his true identity. Wo and Hak notices and hold Lee and Man with knives and take their pistol while Sing taunts them and handcuffs Lee.

Later, after robbing another gold jewelry shop, Sing blows up an unmarked police car with a grenade and this time, Lee manages to find Sing and his gang's apartment hideout where he gives chases with his squad and exchanges gunfire with Sing and his gang. Eventually, Sing kills Chung in front of Lee, having known of his identity as a cop all along, before fleeing. Lee and squad starts tailing Sing and his gang, who then kills Boss Chung and stealing all his gold, so the police raises a bounty which was originally HK$500,000 to HK$1 million to catch Sing. 

Due to the public attention he attracted, Sing hides in a presidential suite hotel with his gang and Fan, whom he is in a relationship with. Wo, who is traveling to China with Darky to get more firearms, is unable to make it to Beijing due to many police surrounding. Lee orders Man to keep an eye of Wo, who gets into an argument with Sing due to his lack of patience. Sing then leaves Fan to prepare for his next robbery. He goes to Darky for more firearms, but Sing has become increasingly paranoid and suspects Darky will turn him in for the bounty and kills Darky. Sing and his gang rob an armoured truck in Kwun Tong where Lee and his squad follows, leading to a major gunfight between the robbers and the police where Hak is killed, so Sing and his gang drive the armoured truck away while the police corners them in a car park, where the gunfight resumes. Eventually, Wo tries to drive the armoured truck to flee but Sing shoots him dead. Seeing what happened, Leung hops on the truck and drives it away but Sing catches up and gets on. Leung then rants how Sing does not care about his underlings and shoots him, but Sing shoots Leung back and kills him. Unable to restart the engine, Sing gets off the truck and Lee holds him at gunpoint before they both fire at each other and Sing runs and jumps into the water where he was never seen again and is rumored to be living in an asylum in the United States.

Cast
Simon Yam as Chan Sing (陳星), who is based on Yip Kai Foon. Sing had a rough childhood, where his father went bankrupt after being scammed of his gold jewelry shop, so his mother brought him to the United States where she remarried. Growing up without a father, Sing develops schizophrenia and was placed at an asylum for three years. Afterwards, he returned to Hong Kong in 1993 and threatened the man who scammed his father and was arrested and placed in an asylum again, where he escapes at the beginning of the film.
Anita Lee as Fan (阿芬), a waitress at a seafood restaurant who lives next to Ding's apartment and starts a relationship with.
Roy Cheung as Wo (阿和), Sing's underling who is impatient and power-hungry.
Marco Ngai as Leung (阿良), Sing's underling who is calm but brutal.
Chin Ka-lok as Chung (阿忠), a newbie in Sing's gang who is an undercover police officer.
Bowie Lam as Inspector Lee (李Sir), a hot-tempered, but wise police officer who is determined to arrest Sing.
Philip Keung as Hak (克仔), Sing's underling who is the driver of the gang.
Jason Pai as Officer Chu (朱Sir), Lee's superior officer.
Cherie Chan as a prostitute who Hak calls to service him.
Raymond Yu
Hung Chi-sing
Chiu Kwok-choi
Kong Foo-keung
Ah Chai
Siu Dou
Sin Po-ming
Calvin Lee
Choi Kin-sing as a policeman.

Reception

Box office
The film grossed HK$4,695,845 at the Hong Kong box office during its theatrical run from 5 to 24 October 1996.

Critical response
Andrew Saroch of Far East Films gave the film a score of 2/5 stars, praising the performances of Simon Yam and Roy Cheung as well as Chin Ka-lok's action choreography, but criticizes its amateurish production and underdeveloped characters.

See also
Trivisa, a 2016 film starring Richie Jen as Yip Kai Foon.

References

External links

King of Robbery at Hong Kong Cinemagic

Hong Kong films
1996 films
1996 action films
1990s heist films
Hong Kong action films
Hong Kong heist films
Hong Kong gangster films
Police detective films
1990s Cantonese-language films
Films based on actual events
Films set in 1994
Films set in Hong Kong
Films shot in Hong Kong