Midnight Lady Called the Blues

Midnight Lady Called the Blues
Studio album by
Jimmy Witherspoon
Released1986
LabelMuse[1]
ProducerDoc Pomus, Dr. John
Jimmy Witherspoon chronology
Patcha, Patcha, All Night Long
(1985) 		Midnight Lady Called the Blues
(1986) 		Never Knew This Kind of Hurt Before: The Bluesway Sessions
(1988)

Midnight Lady Called the Blues is an album by the American musician Jimmy Witherspoon, released in 1986.[2][3] It was recorded shortly after Witherspoon recovered from throat cancer.[4] Midnight Lady Called the Blues was dedicated to Big Joe Turner.[5] The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male".[6]

Production

The album was cowritten and coproduced by Doc Pomus and Dr. John; it was allegedly recorded in eight hours.[7][8][9] It was the first time that Witherspoon had songs written explicitly for him.[10] Hank Crawford played saxophone on the album.[9] Bernard Purdie played drums.[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[13]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide[14]

The Miami Herald determined that, "while Witherspoon is responsible for the blues vibrations in the studio, every musician shines in support."[9] The Washington Post called Midnight Lady Sings the Blues "one of the grittiest R&B albums he's ever made."[11] Cash Box deemed it "a saucy, creamy, steamy LP."[15] Glenn O'Brien in Spin found it "a powerfully soulful, mature record from a singer, two songwriters, and a great band, all at the height of their achievement."[16]

AllMusic wrote that "the spirited set has more than its share of interesting and exciting moments despite the obscurity of the material."[12] The Guardian noted that the album "gave [Witherspoon's] admirers almost unalloyed satisfaction, thanks partly to sympathetic collaborators, but chiefly to his sheer professionalism."[17] MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide dismissed it as "bland, uninspired."[14]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."New York Blues" 
2."The Barber" 
3."Blinded by Love" 
4."Happy Hard Times" 
5."Something Rotten in East St. Louis" 
6."Midnight Lady Called the Blues" 
7."Blues Hall of Fame" 

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Popoff, Martin (September 8, 2009). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide. Penguin.
  2. ^ Deffaa, Chip (September 21, 1996). Blue Rhythms: Six Lives in Rhythm and Blues. University of Illinois Press.
  3. ^ Palmer, Robert (25 July 1986). "Doc Pomus Still Writes, Rocks and Rambles". The New York Times. p. C23.
  4. ^ Morris, Chris (Oct 4, 1997). "Blues great Jimmy Witherspoon dies". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 40. p. 15.
  5. ^ "On the Record". News. United Press International. August 1, 1986.
  6. ^ "Jimmy Witherspoon". Recording Academy. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  7. ^ O'Brien, Glenn (Dec 1986). "Spins". Spin. Vol. 2, no. 9. p. 35.
  8. ^ Friedman, Josh Alan (September 21, 2008). Tell the Truth Until They Bleed: Coming Clean in the Dirty World of Blues and Rock 'n' Roll. Hal Leonard Corporation.
  9. ^ a b c Moon, Tom (August 22, 1986). "Bluesman's Life Shapes His Songs". Miami Herald. p. 1D.
  10. ^ Simon, Larry (July 29, 2021). New York City Blues: Postwar Portraits from Harlem to the Village and Beyond. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-4968-3474-4.
  11. ^ a b Joyce, Mike (August 15, 1986). "Witherspoon's Gritty Truths". The Washington Post.
  12. ^ a b "Jimmy Witherspoon Midnight Lady Called the Blues". AllMusic.
  13. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 743.
  14. ^ a b MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 411.
  15. ^ "Feature Picks". Cash Box. August 20, 1986. p. 20.
  16. ^ O'Brien, Glenn (December 1986). "Midnight Lady Called the Blues". Spin. Vol. 2, no. 9. p. 35.
  17. ^ Russell, Tony (24 Sep 1997). "Obituary: Jimmy Witherspoon: Shout it out loud". The Guardian Features Page. The Guardian. pp. 1, 17.