Eddie Vinson

American saxophonist and blues shouter

Eddie Vinson

Eddie Vinson in May 1980.

Background information
Birth name| Edward L. Vinson Jr.
Also known as| Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson
Born| (1917-12-18)December 18, 1917
Houston, Texas, United States
Died| July 2, 1988(1988-07-02) (aged 70)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres| Jump blues,[1] R&B,[1] jazz
Occupation(s)| Saxophonist, singer, composer
Years active| 1930s–1988
Labels| King Records, Mercury, Black & Blue, ABC-BluesWay, Muse

Musical artist

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (born Edward L. Vinson Jr.; December 18, 1917 - July 2, 1988) was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter.[1] He was nicknamed Cleanhead after an incident in which his hair was accidentally destroyed by lye contained in a hair straightening product, necessitating shaving it off; enamoured of the look, Vinson maintained a shaved head thereafter.[2][3] Music critic Robert Christgau has called Vinson "one of the cleanest—and nastiest—blues voices you'll ever hear."[4]

## Biography[edit]

Vinson was born in Houston, Texas.[5] He was a member of the horn section in Milton Larkin's orchestra, which he joined in the late 1930s.[5] At various times, he sat next to Arnett Cobb, Illinois Jacquet, and Tom Archia, while other members of the band included Cedric Haywood and Wild Bill Davis. After exiting Larkin's employment in 1941, Vinson picked up a few vocal tricks while on tour with bluesman Big Bill Broonzy.[5] He then moved to New York and joined the Cootie Williams Orchestra from 1942 to 1945, recording such tunes as "Cherry Red" and appearing in a 10-minute video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF5pTJPV__E where he is featured singing "Things Ain't What They Used to Be". Vinson struck out on his own in 1945, forming his own large band, signing with Mercury Records, and enjoying a double-sided hit in 1947 with his R&B chart-topper "Old Maid Boogie", and the song that would prove to be his signature number, "Kidney Stew Blues".[6]

Vinson's jazz leanings were probably heightened during 1952–1953, when his band included a young John Coltrane. In the late 1960s, touring in a strict jazz capacity with Jay McShann, Vinson's career took an upswing. In the early 1960s Vinson moved to Los Angeles and began working with the Johnny Otis Revue. A 1970 appearance at the Monterey Jazz Festival with Otis spurred a bit of a comeback for Vinson. Throughout the 1970s he worked high-profile blues and jazz sessions for Count Basie, Otis, Roomful of Blues, Arnett Cobb, and Buddy Tate. He also composed steadily, including "Tune Up" and "Four", both of which have been incorrectly attributed to Miles Davis.[7] There is some controversy over who composed "Four".[citation needed]

Vinson recorded extensively during his fifty-odd year career and performed regularly in Europe and the U.S. He died in 1988, from a heart attack while undergoing chemotherapy,[8] in Los Angeles, California.

## Discography[edit]

Year  | Title  | Notes  | Genre  | Label

|
|
|
|

1957  | Clean Head's Back in Town | with Joe Newman, Henry Coker, Bill Graham, Frank Foster, Paul Quinichette, Charlie Rouse, Charles Fowlkes, Nat Pierce, Freddie Green, Turk Van Lake, Ed Jones, Gus Johnson, Ed Thigpen | Blues, Jazz  | Bethlehem; Charly
1962  | Back Door Blues | with Cannonball Adderley Quintet; some tracks and alternate takes released as Cleanhead & Cannonball on Landmark | Blues, Jazz  | Riverside; Fresh Sound
1967  | Cherry Red | with Mike Bloomfield | Blues  | ABC/Bluesway; One Way
1969  | Kidney Stew is Fine | with T-Bone Walker and Jay McShann; also released as Wee Baby Blues on Black & Blue | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz  | Delmark
1969 [1984]  | Live! in France | with Jay McShann  | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz  | Black & Blue
1970  | The Original Cleanhead | with Artie Butler, David Cohen, Joe Pass, Arthur Wright, Earl Palmer, Plas Johnson | Blues  | Bluestime/Flying Dutchman; Ace
1971  | You Can't Make Love Alone | Live at the 1971 Montreux Jazz Festival | Blues  | Mega/Flying Dutchman
1974 [1975]  | Jamming the Blues | Live in Montreux  | Blues  | Black Lion
1978  | The "Clean" Machine | with Lloyd Glenn | Blues, Jazz  | Muse
1978 [1981]  | Live at Sandy's (Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and the Muse All Stars)  | with Arnett Cobb and Buddy Tate | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz  | Muse 5208
1978 [1984]  | Hold It Right There! (Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and the Muse All Stars)  | with Arnett Cobb and Buddy Tate  | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz  | Muse 5243
1979 [2003]  | Redux: Live at the Keystone Korner | with Larry Vuckovich | Blues, Jazz  | Savant
1980  | Kansas City Shout | with Count Basie and Big Joe Turner | Blues, Jazz  | Pablo
1980  | Fun in London | with John Burch, Lennie Bush, Bobby Orr  | Blues, Jazz  | JSP
1981  | I Want a Little Girl | with Art Hillery, Cal Green, John Heard, Roy McCurdy, Martin Banks, Rashid Jamal Ali  | Blues, Jazz  | Pablo
1982  | Mr. Cleanhead's Back in Town | with Stan Greig, Les Davidson, Paul Sealey, Martin Guy  | Blues, Jazz  | JSP
1982  | Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson & Roomful of Blues | with Roomful of Blues | Blues, Jump Blues  | Muse; Rockbeat
1986  | Blues in the Night Volume One: The Early Show | Live in Los Angeles with Etta James | Blues  | Fantasy
1986 [1987]  | The Late Show: Blues in the Night, Volume 2 | Live in Los Angeles with Etta James  | Blues  | Fantasy
1987  | Oscar Peterson + Harry Edison + Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson | with Oscar Peterson and Harry "Sweets" Edison | Jazz  | Pablo
1996  | Kidney Stew (The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions) | with T-Bone Walker and Jay McShann  | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz  | Black & Blue
2003  | Bald Headed Blues (His Complete King Recordings 1949-1952) | compilation  | Jump Blues  | Ace
2006  | Honk for Texas (1942–1954) | with Cootie Williams and Big Jim Wynn; 4-CD box set; compilation  | Jump Blues  | JSP
2007  | Blues, Boogie & Bebop – Meat's Too High | compilation of Fun in London and Mr. Cleanhead's Back in Town | Blues, Jazz  | JSP
2008  | Jumpin' the Blues (The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions) | with Jay McShann  | Jump Blues, Swing Jazz  | Black & Blue
2019  | Mr. Cleanhead Blows His Greatest Hits (Selected Singles 1944-1950) | compilation  | Jump Blues  | Jasmine

With Oliver Nelson

* Swiss Suite (Flying Dutchman, 1971 [rel. 1972])

With Arnett Cobb and the Muse All Stars

* Live at Sandy's! (Muse 5191, 1978 [rel. 1980])
* More Arnett Cobb and the Muse All Stars (Live at Sandy's!) (Muse 5236, 1978 [rel. 1983])

With Buddy Tate and the Muse All Stars

* Live at Sandy's (Muse 5198, 1978 [rel. 1980])
* Hard Blowin' (Live at Sandy's) (Muse 5249, 1978 [rel. 1984])

With Helen Humes and the Muse All Stars

* Helen Humes and the Muse All Stars (Muse 5217, 1978 [rel. 1980]) - with Arnett Cobb and Buddy Tate

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 181\. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
2. ^ Otis, Johnny. Upside Your Head!: Rhythm and Blues on Central Avenue, Wesleyan University Press, page 34, (1993) - ISBN 0-8195-6287-4
3. ^ "Vinson Eddie "Cleanhead"". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
4. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: V". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 21, 2019 - via robertchristgau.com.
5. ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 1219/20. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
6. ^ Vladimir, Bogdanov. All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues, Backbeat Books, pg. 571 (2002); ISBN 0-87930-736-6
7. ^ Koster, Rick. Texas Music, St. Martin's Press, pg. 319 (2000); ISBN 0-312-25425-3
8. ^ Doc Rock. "The 1980s". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved 2015-10-07.

## External links[edit]

* Houston's own, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson!
* NBR: Blues and Jazz Get Rollicking Together
* Blues Lyrics: Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson at the Wayback Machine (archived October 27, 2009)
* All About Jazz: Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson
* 'I Remember Eddie Cleanhead Vinson', by Steve Holt

* v
* t
* e

Eddie Vinson

Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, unless stated otherwise.

Studio albums|

* Clean Head's Back in Town (1957)
* Back Door Blues (1961 & 1962)
* Cherry Red (1967)
* Kidney Stew Is Fine (1969)
* The Original Cleanhead (1969)
* The "Clean" Machine (1978)
* Kansas City Shout (1980)
* I Want a Little Girl (1981)
* Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson & Roomful of Blues (1982)
* Oscar Peterson + Harry Edison + Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (1986)

Live albums|

* You Can't Make Love Alone (1971)
* Live at Sandy's (1978)
* Hold It Right There! (1978)

Authority control databases

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* FAST
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* MusicBrainz

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