Johnnie Bassett
Johnnie Bassett | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Johnnie Alexander Bassett |
Born | Marianna, Florida, United States | October 9, 1935
Died | August 4, 2012 Detroit, Michigan, United States[1] | (aged 76)
Genres | Electric blues[2] |
Occupation(s) | Guitarist, singer, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
Years active | Mid 1950s – 2012 |
Labels | Various |
Website | johnniebassett |
Johnnie Alexander Bassett (October 9, 1935 – August 4, 2012) was a Detroit-based American
Biography
Born in Marianna, Florida,[3] Bassett relocated with his family in 1944 to Detroit.[2] He was a guitarist in the group Joe Weaver and the Bluenotes, which won local talent contests and backed Big Joe Turner, and Ruth Brown. In 1958, Bassett enlisted in the United States Army. Upon his return to Detroit he worked with the Bluenotes as session musicians for Fortune Records.[2][4] During this time he provided accompaniment to Nolan Strong & the Diablos and Andre Williams.[2] He later backed the Miracles in a short tenure at Chess Records, working on their debut single, "Got a Job" (1958).[2][5][6][7] In concerts while in Detroit, Bassett played on stage alongside John Lee Hooker, Alberta Adams, Lowell Fulson and Dinah Washington.[2]
Basset spent most of the next decade performing at gigs in Seattle and backing Tina Turner and Little Willie John.[2]
The Detroit Blues Society recognized Bassett's contribution to the blues with a lifetime achievement award in 1994.
At the 2003 Great Lakes Folk Festival, Bassett performed as part of the Detroit Blues Revue with Alberta Adams and Joe Weaver.[8] At the 2006 Detroit Music Awards, Bassett won an award for Outstanding Blues/R&B Instrumentalist. In 2010 and 2011, he was awarded the Outstanding Blues Artist/Group title.
Bassett's album The Gentleman Is Back was released in June 2009. In 2010, it won a Detroit Music Award in the category Outstanding National Small/Independent Label Recording.
Bassett and his band (Chris Codish, keyboards; Keith Kaminski, saxophone; and Skeeto Valdez, drums) played weekly at the Northern Lights Lounge in Detroit.
He died of cancer on August 4, 2012.[9][10]
In April 2022, the Killer Blues Headstone Project placed a headstone for Johnnie Bassett at the Detroit Memorial Cemetery in Warren, Michigan.
Selected discography
- Live at the Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festival (1994)
- I Gave My Life to the Blues (1997), Black Magic
- Bassett Hound (1997), Fedora Records
- Cadillac Blues (1998), Cannonball Records
- Party My Blues Away (1999), Cannonball Records
- The Gentleman Is Back (2009), Mack Avenue Records[11]
- I Can Make That Happen (2012), Sly Dog Records
References
- ^ "Johnnie Bassett 76 Dies". Freep.com. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Richard Skelly. "Johnnie Bassett: Biography". AllMusic.com. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
- ^ Terence McArdle (August 9, 2012). "Johnnie Bassett, Blues Singer and Guitarist, Dies at 76". Washington Post. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ISBN 0-7385-2033-0.
- ^ a b c d "Johnnie Bassett: Artist Page". Mackavenue.com. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
- ^ "Smokey Robinson and The Miracles – Inductees". Vocalhalloffame.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
- ^ [1] Archived August 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Artist Info". Museum.msu.edu. Archived from the original on June 24, 2010. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
- ^ "Detroit Blues Man Johnnie Bassett Dies". Detroitnews.com. Retrieved August 5, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ McCollum, Brian (August 6, 2012). "Johnnie Bassett 1935-2012". Detroit Free Press. pp. A7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Johnnie Bassett: Discography". AllMusic.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
External links
- Photography and videos at NME
- Johnnie Bassett discography at Discogs
- Johnnie Bassett at AllMusic