Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (December 18, 1917, Houston, Texas – July 2, 1988, Los Angeles, California) was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed Cleanhead after a lye-laced straightener destroyed his hair. During the late 1930s, he was a member of an incredible horn section in Milton Larkin's orchestra, sitting next to Arnett Cobb and Illinois Jacquet. After exiting Larkin's employment in 1941, Vinson pick up a few vocal tricks while on tour with bluesman Big Bill Broonzy. He then moved to New York and joined the Cootie Williams Orchestra from 1942 to 1945, recording such classics as "Cherry Red". Vinson struck out on his own in 1945, forming his own large band, signing with Mercury Records, and enjoying a double-sided smash in 1947 with his romping R&B chart-topper "Old Maid Boogie" and the song that would prove his signature number, "Kidney Stew Blues". Vinson's jazz leanings were probably heightened during 1952-1953, when his band included a young John Coltrane. In the late sixties, 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 seventies he worked high-profile blues and jazz sessions for Count Basie, Johnny 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. Vinson recorded extensively during his fifty odd year career and performed regularly in Europe and the U.S. until his death in 1988. Selected discography Year Title Notes Genre Label 1961 Cleanhead & Cannonball with Cannonball Adderley Jazz Milestone 1961 Backdoor Blues with Cannonball Adderley Blues Fantasy 1967 Cherry Red Jump Blues, R&B, Swing Jazz ABC's Bluesway 1986 The Late Show Live with Etta James Blues Fantasy 1999 Cleanhead Blues: 1945-1947 Import Blues Camden/Wave 2006 Honk for Texas Blues JSP