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Jimmy Witherspoon's recording career began in '47 when he was 24 years old. Two years later he had his first hit with "Ain't Nobody's Business," and remained on top for the next decade. This recording was made during a French tour in the '60s, when 'Spoon' was touring with an all-star cast led by Buck Clayton. He was a huge hit in Europe, and this recording aptly demonstrates why. Joined by Clayton and Emmet Berry on trumpet, Dicky Wells on trombone, Earl Warren on alto sax, Buddy Tate on tenor sax, Sir Charles Thompson on piano, Gene Ramey on bass, and Oliver Jackson on drums, this album is a testament to Witherspoon's greatness, and to the timeless nature of excellent music.
"No I wasn't there, but I can tell those who were really had a ball. The '61 audience sounds so satisfied. I can also hear that this blues singer was at his best and his 8-song program still holds up today... You can hear the crowd scream with pleasure."
-Dan Singer, In Tune International
Jimmy Witherspoon was one of those singers, like Big Joe Turner and Joe Williams, who was equally comfortable singing jazz or blues. Witherspoon's diction was much cleaner than that of Turner (one could always understand the words he sang), and his experiences covered a wider ground than Williams. But during his varied life, Witherspoon was consistently excellent, at least until his health affected his voice in the 1980s.
Born in Arkansas in 1920, Witherspoon first sang the blues in a very unusual location: Calcutta, India! He was stationed overseas during World War II. and had the opportunity to sit in with pianist Teddy Weatherford's band in India. That was the real start of his career.
Back in the United States, 'Spoon worked with Jay McShann's combo during 1945-46 with whom he recorded. In 1949 with McShann as his sideman, he had a major hit with “Ain't Nobody's Business.” Although Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday had previously been identified with the song, from then on it belonged to Witherspoon.
He also had hits with “No Rollin' Blues” and “Big Fine Girl.” But by the mid-1950s, Witherspoon was considered out of style. He was too urban to fit into the Chess style of blues typified by Muddy Waters, he was too closely associated with the blues to be accepted in the jazz world, and a bit too old to be a teen idol in rock and roll. But a booking at the 1959 Monterey Jazz Festival changed his career. He was the hit of the festival, leading an all-star group that included Roy Eldridge, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Woody Herman and Earl Hines through some of his blues favorites, and the audience loved it. The recording became a big seller.
From then on, Witherspoon was a big draw. He teamed up with for a time with Ben Webster and during a period with organist Groove Holmes, worked with younger blues musicians later in the 1960s, and used Robben Ford in his own band for a few years. After being diagnosed with throat cancer, he lost part of his voice but continued performing until shortly before his death in 1997.
In 1961, two years after his Monterey triumph, Jimmy Witherspoon toured Europe with the Count Basie Alumni All-Stars. Never mind that 'Spoon never worked with Basie, the music on Olympia Concert works very well. With solos contributed by trumpeters Buck Clayton and Emmett Berry, trombonist Dickie Wells, altoist Earl Warren and tenor-saxophonist Buddy Tate, Witherspoon is in very good company. He performs his repertoire of the era including such blues classics as “See See Rider,” a rollicking “Roll 'Em Pete,” and of course “T'ain't Nobody's Business.”
"Throughout his career, singer Jimmy Witherspoon crossed over between jazz and blues, gaining a wide audience for his brand of swinging blues. After some initial success in the late 1940s, he was in obscurity until he became the hit of the 1959 Monterey Jazz Festival. Olympia Concert was recorded two years later when he was touring Europe with the Count Basie Alumni All-Stars. Joined by a hot octet filled with swinging soloists, Witherspoon easily holds his own on such numbers as “See See Rider,” “Roll ‘Em Pete” and his signature song “T’ain’t Nobody’s Business.”
Every record collection, whether it is dominated by jazz, blues or swing, needs some Jimmy Witherspoon. Olympia Concert is an example of 'Spoon at his most joyous."– Scott Yanow
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