The Mighty Hannibal
| The Mighty Hannibal | |
|---|---|
Hannibal at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Timothy Shaw |
| Also known as | Hannibal, King Hannibal |
| Born |
August 9, 1939 Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Died | January 30, 2014 (aged 74) The Bronx, New York, United States |
| Genres | R&B, soul, funk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1954–2014 |
| Labels | Various |
| Associated acts | Johnny "Guitar" Watson |
James Timothy Shaw (August 9, 1939 – January 30, 2014), known as The Mighty Hannibal, was an American R&B, soul and funk singer, songwriter and record producer. Known for his showmanship, and outlandish costumes often incorporating a pink turban, several of his songs carried social or political themes. His biggest hit was "Hymn No. 5," a commentary on the effects of the Vietnam War on servicemen, which was banned on radio.
James Timothy Shaw was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Corrie Belle and James Henry Shaw. He was raised in the Vine City neighborhood of Atlanta. He started singing doo-wop as a teenager, and in 1954 he joined his first group, The Overalls. The outfit contained Shaw and Robert Butts plus Edward Patten and Merald "Bubba" Knight. The latter two later tasted success as part of Gladys Knight's backing group, The Pips. From that time, Shaw credited Grover Mitchell as his singing voice mentor. In 1958 Shaw moved to Los Angeles where, under the name of Jimmy Shaw, he recorded his debut solo single, "Big Chief Hug-Um An' Kiss-Um," a novelty song issued on the Concept label. This was followed by further releases including "The Biggest Cry," and "I Need a Woman ('Cause I'm a Man)."
Subsequently working as a singer with Johnny Otis, Shaw went on to sing in another group featuring H. B. Barnum and Jimmy Norman. At this time he befriended both Johnny "Guitar" Watson and Larry Williams, before in 1959, and at the suggestion of Aki Aleong, adopting the name 'Hannibal'. He then released a small number of singles on the Pan World label. In 1962 he joined King Records, who released four further singles, the biggest seller being "Baby, Please Change Your Mind". Between 1962 and 1965 Hannibal also worked as a pimp in Los Angeles, a lifestyle that saw him dropped by King.
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