Midnight Lady Called the Blues

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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

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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

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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

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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

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References

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  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.
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