The great Memphis musician, producer, and philosopher James Luther "Jim" Dickinson gave up the ghost last August, you can read my post and watch some video on him here with an addendum here. The links on those posts however are dead. You can find his classic 1971 LP Dixie Fried at the Twilight Zone blog (as well as some of his field recordings done around Memphis, search TZ for Delta Experimental Projects Vol. 1 and 2). One of the two LP's byMudboy & the Nuetrons'-- Negro Streets At Dawn (their second) can be found here.
After a thirty year hiatus, Dickinson began recording solo albums again in 2002 with Free Beer Tomorrow (Artemis) and released three more LP's in quick succession-- Jungle Jim & the Voodoo Tiger (Memphis Int'l, 2006), Killers From Space (Memphis Int'l, 2007) and the posthumous Dinosaurs Run In Circles (Memphis Int'l, 2009). Those you can buy, you cheap fuck. I did. Here are some rare sides, all of them personal favorites which I'm reposting because they should be heard. Thanks to his son Luther of the North Mississippi All-Stars and the South Memphis String Band for the version of Rumble, the 45 of which I'm still looking for.
Here's some sounds:
*New Beale Street Sheiks- You'll Do It All The Time (Southtown, 1964, his first single)
*Jim Dickinson & the Katmandu Quartet- Shake 'Em On Down b/w Monkey Man (Southtown, 1965)
*The Jesters- Cadillac Man b/w My Babe (Sun, 1966)
*Flash & the Memphis Casuals- Uptight Tonight (Block, 1966, written by Dickinson who also plays guitar on it).
*JD & the Hoods- Rumble (Barbarian, 1980, see my second posting on J.D. and the comments section for the story on this one)
*The Johnny Burnette Rock'n'Roll Trio- Rooster Blues, Ubangi Stomp (Rockabilly, 1981, Paul Burlison and Johnny Black put the Trio back together without the late Burnette brothers to make an album with guest vocalists like Charlie Feathers and Malcom Yelvington, J.D. sings and plays piano on these two cuts).
*Jim Dickinson & the Cramps- Red Headed Woman (Big Beat, recorded 1977, released 1981, at Sun Studio while the Cramps were recording the tracks for the Gravest Hits EP).
I have pretty much written what I have to say about him in the earlier postings, but let me reiterate, we'll never see another one like Jim Dickinson, he is one of immortals.
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9 comments:
Thanks SO much for posting these - especially the Katmandu Quartet sides. Coincidentally, I just finished "It Came From Memphis" and Robert Gordon is right - somebody REALLY needs to compile and reissue those early Charlie Freeman sessions.
My favorite interviewee for "Lost and Found," hands down. Singular dude.
Those you can buy, you cheap fuck.
Hound, you owe me a new keyboard.
Philo
"Hound, you owe me a new keyboard."
Huh? I have an old one that still works (for a mac) you can have.....
Wilbert Harrison is incredible. I've never seen or heard of him before. Can anyone recommend a good CD from him. Allmusicguide isn't the best help this time.
Relic has a best of his Fury sides, not sure what is called, maybe Kansas City, that's his best stuff. Kansas City was the #1 record the week I was born (May, '59).
If you haven't seen it, you should check out the Jim Dickinson interview (3 hrs. long!) DVD that True Story Pictures outta Memphis just put out. Their web site is www.truestorypictures.org. It may not be up for purchase on the site, but you can contact them and they'll sell it to you. It's great.
This has nothing to do with Dickinson, New York does it? It's funny where you end up when doing a little googling. Now if I was binging, I definitely would not have ended up here. Sorry for the off-topic remarks, but hey at least it's another comment on your blog!
I felt sad when James Luther "Jim" Dickinson died , in my opinion he was the best American record producer, pianist, and singer who fronted, among others, the Memphis based band, Mudboy & The Neutrons, from Tennessee
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