Witherspoon first attracted attention singing in
Calcutta,
India, with
Teddy Weatherford's band, which made regular radio broadcasts over the US
Armed Forces Radio Service during
World War II. Witherspoon made his first
records with
Jay McShann's band in 1945. He first recorded under his own name in 1947,[4] and two years later with the McShann band, he had his first hit, "
Ain't Nobody's Business",[2] a song that came to be regarded as his signature tune. In 1950 he had hits with two more songs closely identified with him—"No Rollin' Blues" and "Big Fine Girl"—and also hit with "Failing by Degrees" and "New Orleans Woman", recorded with the Gene Gilbeaux Orchestra (which included Herman Washington and Don Hill) for
Modern Records. They were recorded at a live performance on May 10, 1949, at a "Just Jazz" concert in
Pasadena, California, sponsored by
Gene Norman. Another classic Witherspoon composition is "Times Gettin' Tougher Than Tough".
Witherspoon performed in four of the famed Cavalcade of Jazz concerts held in Los Angeles at
Wrigley Field which were produced by
Leon Hefflin Sr. His first performance was at the fourth Cavalcade of Jazz on September 12, 1948, and
Dizzy Gillespie was the featured artist along with
Frankie Lane,
Little Miss Cornshucks,
The Sweetheart of Rhythms,
Joe Liggins's Honeydrippers,
Joe Turner, The Blenders, and The Sensations.[5] The program description stated that Witherspoon "is one of the most sought-after blues singers in the business. He has a strong, clear voice and diction that you would hear in the classics. Although he has been quite successful singing the blues, Witherspoon can sing ballads with a surprising sweetness." He played at the fifth Cavalcade of Jazz concert on July 10, 1949, along with
Lionel Hampton, The Hamptones,
Buddy Banks and his Orchestra,
Big Jay McNeely, and Smiley Turner.[6] Witherspoon came back again for the seventh Cavalcade of Jazz concert on July 8, 1951, and performed alongside
Billy Eckstine,
Lionel Hampton and his Revue,
Percy Mayfield,
Joe Liggins's Honeydrippers, and
Roy Brown.[7] His last appearance at the eighth Cavalcade of Jazz concert was on June 1, 1952. Also featured that day were
Anna Mae Winburn and Her Sweethearts,
Jerry Wallace,
Toni Harper,
Roy Brown and His Mighty Men,
Louis Jordan and his Orchestra, and
Josephine Baker.[8]
In 1961 he toured Europe with
Buck Clayton and returned to the UK on many occasions, featuring on a mid-'60s live UK recording, Spoon Sings and Swings (1966), with tenor sax player
Dick Morrissey's quartet. In 1970, Witherspoon appeared on
Brother Jack McDuff's London
Blue Note recording To Seek a New Home together with British jazz musicians, including Dick Morrissey, again, and
Terry Smith. In the 1970s Witherspoon also recorded the album Guilty! (later released on CD as Black & White Blues) with
Eric Burdon[2] and featuring Ike White & the San Quentin Prison Band. He then toured with a band of his own featuring
Robben Ford and
Russ Ferrante. A
recording from this period, Spoonful, featured Witherspoon accompanied by
Robben Ford,
Joe Sample,
Cornell Dupree,
Thad Jones, and
Bernard Purdie.[10] He continued performing and recording into the 1990s.[10]
In the 1995 film
Georgia, Witherspoon portrayed Trucker, a traveling, gun-collecting blues singer who has a relationship with the troubled character Sadie, played by
Jennifer Jason Leigh.
^"49ers Roster". 49ers.com. San Francisco 49ers. Archived from
the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
^Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 13.
ISBN1-85868-255-X.
^O'Connell, Sean J. (2014). Los Angeles's Central Avenue jazz. Charleston, South Carolina.
ISBN978-1467131308.
OCLC866922945.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)
^"Star Studded Show At Wrigley Field Sunday, July 10th" Article The California Eagle June 30, 1949.