Willie Dixon

William James "Willie" Dixon born on July 1, 1915, was a American blues double-bassist, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. Born in Vicksburg Mississippi, Dixon played around with singing and performing as an adolescent learning rhyme from his mother. Dixon left rural Mississippi for Chicago in 1936. A large man, at 6 and a half feet and weighing over 250 pounds, he took up boxing. He was so successful that he won the Illinois State Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship in 1937. Dixon thereafter turned professional as a boxer and worked briefly as Joe Louis' sparring partner. After only four fights, Dixon left boxing after getting into a fight with his manager over unaccounted funds. Dixon began singing with groups in Chicago and later became a staple in the African American music market working as a producer, talent scout, session musician and staff songwriter for Chess and his own record labels. In his later years, Willie Dixon became a tireless ambassador for the blues and a vocal advocate for its members founding the Blues Heaven Foundation that works to perserve the legacy of the blues. Dixon died of heart failure in Burbank, California on January 29, 1992.


Dixon was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the "early influences" (pre-rock) category in 1994.

Dixon was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the "early influences" (pre-rock) category in 1994.


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