Blues Master Jimmy Witherspoon was born August 8, 1920, Gurdon, Ark. and past on September 18, 1997, Los Angeles, Ca.  His father, a railroad man, sang in local choirs, while his mother played piano. Spoon didn't pursue music professionally until after his WWII stint in the Merchant Marines. On his return to the states in 1944, he replaced the great Walter Brown in Jay McShann's band and performed with Big Joe Turner and T-Bone Walker. Spoon's first hit record was "Ain't Nobody's Business" which he followed in 1949 with a reworking of the Leroy Carr song "In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down". His hit "Ain't Nobody's Business" was one of the biggest records of the era, and stayed on the Billboard charts 34 weeks that year. Spoon made at least 200 recordings since and was one of the few true giants of the post-war Blues boom. He recorded for a variety of labels through the 50s, including cornerstone sides with Swingtime, Federal, Chess, RCA and even a Dixieland session with The Wilbur De Paris New Orleans Jazz Band for Atlantic in 1956. Spoon's long-running career took place on Jazz stages around the world, from Carnegie Hall to the Newport Jazz Festival, from touring Japan with Count Basie to European tours with Buck Clayton's All Stars. Spoon managed to span the worlds of Blues, R&B and Jazz with his  unique style anchored in the big band Blues traditions.