Wild Jimmy Spruill
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James Edgar Spruill (June 9, 1934 – February 3, 1996),
Biography
Early life and success
Spruill was born into a sharecropping family in Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States. As a child he listened to both country music and blues. He learned to play guitar, first with a cigar box guitar with an elastic band, and then graduated within a few years to a Fender Telecaster and Standel amplifier.[3] Later in his career, he took to playing a Gibson Les Paul which he "modified" by sawing off most of the body.
He moved to
In May 1959 "
Spruill was a showman, known for playing guitar with his teeth.[3] His sound was unconventional, notable for its hard attack and sense of freedom, unexpectedly going from assertive lead parts to rhythmically dynamic, scratching rhythms. Among his most interesting solo records is "Hard Grind" (Fire 1006), which was originally issued as the B-side to "Kansas City March". Other solo sides include "Cut and Dried", "Scratchin' Twist", and "Slow Draggin".
Later life and death
Spruill formed an East Coast nightclub trio in the mid-1960s, with singer Tommy Knight and drummer Popsy Dixon (now with
Chartings as session player
Artist | Song title | Date | US charts | R&B US charts | Miscellaneous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wilbert Harrison | "Kansas City" | 1959 | 1 | 1 | |
Storey Sisters | “Bad Motorcycle” | 1958 | |||
Dave "Baby" Cortez | “The Happy Organ” | 1959 | 1 | 5 | |
Little Anthony and the Imperials | “So Much” | 1959 | 87 | 24 | |
Tarheel Slim and Little Ann | "It’s Too Late" | 1959 | 20 | ||
Buster Brown | “Fannie Mae” | 1960 | 38 | 1 | |
Bobby Marchan | "There’s Something On Your Mind" | 1960 | 1 | ||
Maxine Brown | "All In My Mind" | 1961 | 19 | 2 | |
Lee Dorsey | “Ya Ya” | 1961 | 7 | 1 | |
Bobby Lewis | “Tossin' and Turnin'” | 1961 | 1 | 1 | |
The Shirelles | “Dedicated to the One I Love” | 1961 | 3 | 2 | |
Solomon Burke | "Down in the Valley" | 1962 | 71 | 20 | Initially the B-side of “I’m Hanging Up My Heart For You” |
Solomon Burke | “I’m Hanging Up My Heart For You” | 1962 | 85 | 15 |
Legacy
Spruill's work may be found on a number of compilation albums, including the following:
- Great R&B Instrumentals, Ace Records: 819 ("Hard Grind")
- N.Y. Wild Guitars, (P-Vine) (Japanese compilation)
- Scratch 'n Twist: Rare And Unissued New York Rhythm And Blues 1956-1962, Night Train International: NTI CD 7150
- Scratchin’ • The Wild Jimmy Spruill Story: GVC2039 released in 2014
References
- ISBN 978-0313344237.
- ^ a b c "The Dead Rock Stars Club 1996 - 1997". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "JIMMY SPRUILL". Rockabilly.nl. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- ^ a b "Wild Jimmy Spruill | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- ISBN 9780252094019– via Google Books.
- ISBN 9780857121172– via Google Books.
- Billboard Books, New York, 1992
- Billboard Books, New York, 2006
- ^ Scratchin' • The Wild Jimmy Spruill Story : GVC2039, released in 2014