Floyd Dixon
| Floyd Dixon | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jay Riggins, Jr. |
| Born |
February 8, 1929 Marshall, Texas, United States |
| Died | July 26, 2006 (aged 77) Orange County, California, United States |
| Genres | Rhythm and blues, Texas blues, West Coast blues |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, singer |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1949–2006 |
| Labels | Various |
Floyd Dixon (February 8, 1929 – July 26, 2006) was an American rhythm and blues pianist and singer.
Dixon was born in Marshall, Texas. Although some sources give his birth name as Jay Riggins, Jr., Dixon himself stated that Floyd Dixon was his real name and that his parents were Velma and Ford Dixon. Growing up, he was influenced by blues, gospel, jazz and country music. His family moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1942. Dixon met his influence Charles Brown there.
The self-dubbed "Mr. Magnificent", Dixon signed a recording contract with Modern Records in 1949, specializing in jump blues and sexualized songs like "Red Cherries", "Wine Wine Wine", "Too Much Jelly Roll" and "Baby Let's Go Down to the Woods". Both "Dallas Blues" and "Mississippi Blues", credited to the Floyd Dixon Trio, reached the Billboard R&B chart in 1949, as did "Sad Journey Blues", issued by Peacock Records in 1950.
Dixon replaced Charles Brown on piano and vocals in the band Johnny Moore's Three Blazers in 1950 when Brown departed to start a solo career. The group recorded for Aladdin Records and reached the R&B chart with "Telephone Blues" (credited to Floyd Dixon with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers). Staying with the record label, Dixon had a small hit under his own name in 1952 with "Call Operator 210". Dixon switched to Specialty Records in 1952 and to the Atlantic Records subsidiary Cat Records in 1954. "Hey Bartender" (later covered by the Blues Brothers) and "Hole in the Wall" were released during this time.
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