Willie Dixon was a Chicago blues artist, perhaps best known for his songwriting. [1] He wrote or co-wrote over 500 songs [2] and his work has been recorded by some of the best-known blues musicians of his era, including Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Little Walter. [3] [4] Later, some of his songs were popularized by rock groups, such as the Rolling Stones, Cream, and Led Zeppelin. [1] Musicians in several genres have interpreted Dixon's songs. [2]
Footnotes
- ^ Led Zeppelin copied portions of Dixon's "Bring It On Home" for the intro and outro of their song of the same name on Led Zeppelin II. A lawsuit on behalf of Dixon was brought against Jimmy Page, et al. and was settled out of court. [3] Subsequent releases of the group's "Bring It On Home" listed Dixon as the songwriter, with their original portions re-titled "Bring It On Back" and credited to the group members. ISWC T-914.040.241-1.
- ^ Elements of Dixon's "You Need Love" were copied by Led Zeppelin for their popular " Whole Lotta Love". A lawsuit was settled out of court [3] and resulted in Dixon's name being added along with the group members on subsequent releases of "Whole Lotta Love". IWSC T-070.202.109-7.
Citations
- ^ a b Shadwick 2007, p. 277.
- ^ a b Dixon & Snowden 1989, p. 247.
- ^ a b c Eder 1996, p. 72.
- ^ Herzhaft 1992, pp. 94–95.
Specific references
- Dixon, Willie; Snowden, Don (1989). I Am the Blues. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80415-8.
- Eder, Bruce (1996). "Willie Dixon". In Erlewine, Michael (ed.). All music guide to the blues : The experts' guide to the best blues recordings. All Music Guide to the Blues. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books. ISBN 0-87930-424-3.
- Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). "Willie Dixon". Encyclopedia of the Blues. Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas Press. ISBN 1-55728-252-8.
- Shadwick, Keith (2007). "Willie Dixon". The Encyclopedia of Jazz & Blues. London: Quantum Publishing. ISBN 978-0-681-08644-9.
General references
- "Willie Dixon – Composer credits". AllMusic. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- "Willie Dixon, Creator-id: 00008321027". ISWC Network. Retrieved August 27, 2016.