Jimmy Dawkins: Biography

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• Mighty Joe Young

• Otis Rush
• Magic Sam
• Buddy Guy

• Luther Allison

• Hip Linkchain

• Rick Miller

• Dave Antler
• Carey Bell
• Joe Harper
• Robert G. Koester
• Sylvester Boines

Born:

Oct 24, 1936 in Tchula, MS

Genres:

Chicago Blues Music, Electric Blues Music, Modern Electric Blues Music

Decades Active:

1960's|1970's|1980's|1990's|2000's

Artistic Quality

Medium

Cultural Impact

Medium

Popularity

Medium

Ratings Guide

Chicago guitarist Jimmy Dawkins would just as soon leave his longtime nickname "Fast Fingers" behind. It was always something of a stylistic misnomer anyway; Dawkins's West Side-styled guitar slashes and surges, but seldom burns with incendiary speed. Dawkins's blues are generally of the brooding, introspective variety -- he doesn't engage in flashy pyrotechnics or outrageous showmanship.

It took a long time for Dawkins to progress from West Side fixture to nationally known recording artist. He rode a Greyhound bus out of Mississippi in 1955, dressed warm to ward off the Windy City's infamous chill factor. Only trouble was, he arrived on a sweltering July day Harpist Billy Boy Arnold offered the newcomer encouragement, and he eventually carved out a niche on the competitive West Side scene (his peers included Magic Sam and Luther Allison).

Sam introduced Dawkins to Delmark Records boss Bob Koester. Fast Fingers, Dawkins's 1969 debut LP for Delmark--still his best album to date--was a taut, uncompromising piece of work that won the Grand Prix du Disque de Jazz from the Hot Club of France in 1971 as the year's top album. Andrew "Big Voice" Odom shared the singing and Otis Rush the second guitar duties on Dawkins's 1971 encore All for Business. But after his Delmark LP Blisterstring, Dawkins's subsequent recordings lacked intensity until 1991's oddly titled Kant Sheck Dees Bluze for Chicago's Earwig Records. Since then, Dawkins has waxed discs for Ichiban and continues to tour extensively.

- Bill Dahl, All Music Guide