Willie Dixon was arguably the blues’ greatest songwriter and — as a talent scout, producer, and session bassist — a key player on the nascent Chicago electric blues scene of the 1950s.
He kick-started the careers of Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, and Magic Sam during his tenure at the Cobra label and helped build the legacy of Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and other legends while on the payroll at Chess Records. Today, recordings of Dixon tunes are still inspiring new generations.
To mark the 94th birthday of the late “bard of Vicksburg,” as blues poet John Sinclair dubbed him, here’s a rundown of 10 of the greatest guitar performances of songs from Dixon’s extensive catalog:
“I Can’t Quit You Baby,” Otis Rush
The dynamic ES-335 and ES-345 slinger made his debut in 1956 with this amazing recording, which he brilliantly recreated live in the American Folk Blues Festival tour a decade later. Rush’s single captured the top six slot on Billboard’s R&B charts and a place in blues history. Check it out.
“Bring It on Home,” Led Zeppelin
Many artists have cut versions of this Dixon classic, but the most notable belongs to Sonny Boy Williamson, whose Chess single was the blueprint for the most ferocious version of the tune, which appeared on Led Zeppelin II. Jimmy Page used a Les Paul Black Beauty for the firestorm rendition the band played at their famous 1970 Royal Albert Hall concert. Check it out below.
“Spoonful,” Cream
Inspired by Howlin’ Wolf’s earthquake track for Chess in 1960, which featured Gold Top slinger Hubert Sumlin, Eric Clapton’s stunning “woman tone” sent this song into the stratosphere via his legendary red ES-335 on Cream’s 1966 debut. Check it out below.
“Evil,” Howlin’ Wolf
All of Wolf’s versions of Dixon songs — “300 Pounds of Joy,” “Back Door Man,” “Hidden Charms, “Do the Do,” etc. — are amazing. Wolf’s bucket-of-gravel voice and hard-practiced ensemble were unchallengeable by all except Muddy Waters on the Chicago scene. But “Evil,” in particular, is a perfect match for Wolf’s gritty howl — a voice the great producer Sam Phillips described as coming from a “place where the soul of man never dies.” Wolf cut the tune in 1954 with his guitar protégée Hubert Sumlin, an early proponent of the Les Paul Gold Top. Check it out below.
“Hoochie Coochie Man,” Muddy Waters
Jim Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Burdon, Derek and the Dominos, Captain Beefheart, the Faces, Steve Miller, and Koko Taylor have all performed great versions of this classic, which remains a favorite among blues bands. But none have touched the pinnacle at which Waters placed the song with his 1954 single for Chess Records featuring Jimmy Rogers, an early proponent of the ES-335, on guitar and Dixon himself on bass. Waters’ live delivery of the tune at the 1960 Newport Folk Festival helped introduce him to white listeners.
“Wang Dang Doodle,” Koko Taylor
Stomping hard-core blues gets no ballsier than Taylor’s rendition of this number, which Howlin’ Wolf had recorded five years earlier. It remained Taylor’s signature number until her death this June 3 at age 80. Check it out below.
“Little Red Rooster,” the Rolling Stones
The Stones knocked this double-entendre laden tale of barnyard badness out of the park in 1965 when it became their fifth single and a U.K. number one hit with guitarist Brian Jones at the helm. Jones used an Epiphone Casino when the Stones played the tune on the Ed Sullivan show. Then the band’s Keith Richards and Ron Wood line-up slammed out an even better version on 1977’s “Love You Live.” Check out the original version below.
“I Ain’t Superstitious,” the Jeff Beck Group
Jeff Beck first played this song as part of the Yardbirds’ repertoire, but the stomping, playful wah-wah infused version on 1968’s Truth, with Rod Stewart on vocals, is the classic blues-rock template for the tune. Listen to the rumble; Beck had his ’59 cherry sunburst Les Paul on “stun.” In April 2009 Beck and Stewart reunited on stage in Los Angeles for an overdue reprise.
“Let Me Love You Baby,” Stevie Ray Vaughan
Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Jeff Beck cut this Dixon tune, but the definitive version is the tautly played one belonging to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who made it a staple of his live performances including the show he played at Wisconsin’s Alpine Valley amphitheater on August 27, 1990 just before his death. Listen to it below.
“Back Door Man,” the Doors
Once again Dixon’s preeminent foil Howlin’ Wolf cut this one first, but the Doors made it their own on their eponymous 1967 debut. Robbie Krieger blazes through the song’s trademark riff and a rumbling solo on the SG Special he used early in the band’s career. Check it out below.