Jimmy McCracklin

Jimmy McCracklin
Jimmy McCracklin in 1981
Background information
Birth name	James David Walker Jr.
Born	(1921-08-13)August 13, 1921 Elaine, Arkansas, U.S.
Died	December 20, 2012(2012-12-20) (aged 91) San Pablo, California, U.S.
Genres	West Coast blues Jump blues R&B
Occupation(s)	Pianist, vocalist, songwriter, composer
Years active	1945–2012
Labels	Globe Records, Swing Time, Checker Records, Imperial, Peacock, Trilon Records, Modern, Rounder, Classics Records, Bear Family, Ace, Stax, Minit; Hi Records

Jimmy McCracklin (August 13, 1921 – December 20, 2012) was an American pianist, vocalist, and songwriter. His style contained West Coast blues, Jump blues, and R&B. Over a career that spanned seven decades, he said he had written almost a thousand songs and had recorded hundreds of them. McCracklin recorded over 30 albums, and earned four gold records. Tom Mazzolini of the San Francisco Blues Festival said of him, "He was probably the most important musician to come out of the Bay Area in the post-World War II years."

McCracklin was born James David Walker Jr. on August 13, 1921. Sources differ as to whether he was born in Elaine, Arkansas or St. Louis, Missouri. He joined the United States Navy in 1938, later settled in Richmond, California, and began playing at the local Club Savoy owned by his sister-in-law Willie Mae "Granny" Johnson. The room-length bar served beer and wine, and Granny Johnson served home-cooked meals of greens, ribs, chicken, and other southern cuisine. A house band composed of Bay Area based musicians alternated with and frequently backed performers such as B. B. King, Charles Brown, and L. C. Robinson. Later in 1963 he would write and record a song "Club Savoy" on his I Just Gotta Know album.

His recorded a debut single for Globe Records, "Miss Mattie Left Me", in 1945, and "Street Loafin' Woman" in 1946. McCracklin recorded for a number of labels in Los Angeles and Oakland, prior to joining Modern Records in 1949-1950. He formed a group called Jimmy McCracklin and his Blues Blasters in 1946, with guitarist Robert Kelton, later replaced by Lafayette Thomas who remained with the group until the early 1960s.