Willie Nix
Encyclopedia
Willie Nix was an American
Chicago blues
singer and drummer
, active in Memphis, Tennessee
, United States
, in the 1940s and 1950s.
, later working as a teenager as part dancer, part comedian, with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels
. This led to work in various variety shows in the 1940s, and Nix later became a part of the blues scene that grew up around Beale Street
(see Memphis Blues
). His musical work saw him appear on local radio with Robert Lockwood Jr.
, and work alongside Willie Love
, Joe Willie Wilkins
and Sonny Boy Williamson II
, billed as the Four Aces, who toured the Deep South
. Further Memphis based radio work in the mid 1940s, saw Nix appear with both B.B. King and Joe Hill Louis
, and later the same decade Nix worked with the Beale Streeters. In 1951, Nix made his first recording
for RPM Records in Memphis, and a year later he later recorded for Checker Records
.
He recorded for the Sun Records
label
and others in the 1950s, including the Chicago
, Illinois
based duo of Chance
and Sabre
. Nix wrote the songs "Nervous Wreck" and "Prison Bound Blues", and variously worked with Elmore James
, Johnny Shines
, and Memphis Slim
.
By the end of the 1950s, Nix returned to Memphis, and spent a short time in prison before the 1960s started. The next twenty years saw Nix perform spasmodically, and as his health declined, his behaviour became more eccentric. He did not record again, although his mid 1950s work is held in high regard for his lyrical dexterity and compelling beat.
Nix died in Leland, Mississippi
, in 1991.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Chicago blues
Chicago blues
The Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois, by taking the basic acoustic guitar and harmonica-based Delta blues, making the harmonica louder with a microphone and an instrument amplifier, and adding electrically amplified guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums,...
singer and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
, active in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in the 1940s and 1950s.
Life and career
Born in Memphis, as a child he learnt to tap danceTap dance
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the...
, later working as a teenager as part dancer, part comedian, with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels
The Rabbit's Foot Company
The Rabbit's Foot Company, also known as the Rabbit Foot Minstrels and colloquially as "The Foots", was a long running minstrel and variety troupe that toured as a tent show in the American South between 1900 and 1950...
. This led to work in various variety shows in the 1940s, and Nix later became a part of the blues scene that grew up around Beale Street
Beale Street
Beale Street is a street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately . It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in the history of the blues. Today, the blues clubs and restaurants that line Beale Street are...
(see Memphis Blues
Memphis blues
The Memphis blues is a style of blues music that was created in the 1920s and 1930s by Memphis-area musicians like Frank Stokes, Sleepy John Estes, Furry Lewis and Memphis Minnie...
). His musical work saw him appear on local radio with Robert Lockwood Jr.
Robert Lockwood Jr.
Robert Lockwood, Jr., also known as Robert Junior Lockwood, was an American Delta blues guitarist, who recorded for Chess Records among other Chicago labels in the 1950s and 1960s...
, and work alongside Willie Love
Willie Love
Willie Love was an American Delta blues pianist. He is best known for his association with, and accompaniment of Sonny Boy Williamson II.-Biography:...
, Joe Willie Wilkins
Joe Willie Wilkins
Joe Willie Wilkins was an American Memphis blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Whilst he influenced contemporaries such as Houston Stackhouse, Robert Nighthawk, David Honeyboy Edwards, and Jimmy Rogers, Wilkins' bigger impact was on up and coming guitarists, including Little Milton, B.B....
and Sonny Boy Williamson II
Sonny Boy Williamson II
Willie "Sonny Boy" Williamson was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, from Mississippi. He is acknowledged as one of the most charismatic and influential blues musicians, with considerable prowess on the harmonica and highly creative songwriting skills...
, billed as the Four Aces, who toured the Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
. Further Memphis based radio work in the mid 1940s, saw Nix appear with both B.B. King and Joe Hill Louis
Joe Hill Louis
Joe Hill Louis , born Lester Hill, was an American singer, guitarist, harmonica player and one-man band...
, and later the same decade Nix worked with the Beale Streeters. In 1951, Nix made his first recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
for RPM Records in Memphis, and a year later he later recorded for Checker Records
Checker Records
Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary to Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Recorded Tape in 1969, shortly before Leonard's death.The label...
.
He recorded for the Sun Records
Sun Records
Sun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27, 1952.Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
and others in the 1950s, including the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
based duo of Chance
Chance Records
Chance Records was a Chicago-based label founded in 1950 by Art Sheridan. It specialized in blues, jazz, doo-wop, and gospel.Among the acts who recorded for Chance were The Flamingos, The Moonglows, Homesick James, J. B. Hutto, Brother John Sellers, and Schoolboy Porter...
and Sabre
Sabre Records
Sabre Records was a Chicago-based label founded in 1953 by Art Sheridan. It specialized in blues, jazz, and doo-wop.Sabre closed down at the end of 1954, when its former owner became one of the financial backers of Vee-Jay, which was growing into a powerhouse of the independent record business.-...
. Nix wrote the songs "Nervous Wreck" and "Prison Bound Blues", and variously worked with Elmore James
Elmore James
Elmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and band leader. He was known as "the King of the Slide Guitar" and had a unique guitar style, noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice.-Biography:James was born Elmore Brooks in the old Richland community in...
, Johnny Shines
Johnny Shines
Johnny Shines was an American blues singer and guitarist. According to the music journalist Tony Russell, "Shines was that rare being, a blues artist who overcame age and rustiness to make music that stood up beside the work of his youth...
, and Memphis Slim
Memphis Slim
Memphis Slim was an American blues pianist, singer, and composer. He led a series of bands that, reflecting the popular appeal of jump blues, included saxophones, bass, drums, and piano. A song he first cut in 1947, "Every Day I Have the Blues", has become a blues standard, recorded by many other...
.
By the end of the 1950s, Nix returned to Memphis, and spent a short time in prison before the 1960s started. The next twenty years saw Nix perform spasmodically, and as his health declined, his behaviour became more eccentric. He did not record again, although his mid 1950s work is held in high regard for his lyrical dexterity and compelling beat.
Nix died in Leland, Mississippi
Leland, Mississippi
Leland is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 4,790 at the 2008 census.The town is located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta on the banks of Deer Creek, which is decorated each Christmas season with floats that bring visitors from afar to view the...
, in 1991.