Jimmy McCracklin (1921-2012)

Jimmy McCracklin, described as “the face of Oakland (CA) blues,” was one of the more prolific rhythm and blues singer-songwriters of the postwar era. His popularity endured for 65 years, from 1945 to 2010.  He died of complications from diabetes in a nursing home in San Pablo, CA, on December 20. He was 91.

He was born James Walker in Helena, Arkansas, on August 13, 1921. McCracklin was his stepfather's name. His family moved to St. Louis when he was seven, where he learned to play piano from blues legend Walter Davis. He served in the Navy during World War II. After the war, he moved to the San Francisco Bay area, where he made his living as a boxer and a singer. 

His first recording, “Miss Mattie Left Me”/“Mean Mistreated Lover,” appeared on the Globe label in 1945. He recorded for several different producers in the late '40s and early '50s, most notably Oakland entrepreneur Bob Geddins and the Bihari brothers, owners of Modern Records. Many of these songs were credited to Jimmy McCracklin and his Blues Blasters. They were recorded under less than ideal conditions, and both his singing and piano playing can be somewhat raggedy and out of tune. Some of the best of his early records are collected on the Acrobat CD, Jimmy's Blues, 1945-1951. The complete Jimmy McCracklin from 1945-1954 can be found on three Classics CDs.  His recordings for the Modern label, including unreleased sides, are collected on two Ace CDs.  

Here's one of his earliest songs, “Rock and Rye,” released on the Courtney label in about 1946.

His biggest hit was “The Walk,” a dance tune recorded in Chicago for Chess Records in 1958. The background riff played by his guitarist, Lafayette Thomas, found its way onto many other records, most notably Freddy King's instrumental hit “Hideaway.” “The Walk” reached #5 on the R&B charts and led to a contract with a major label, Mercury Records, but no followup hits.

In the '60s, he charted twice on Art-Tone and four times on Imperial, where he recorded his second major hit, the popular New Orleans-style ballad “Think,” also known as “Later On.” His most popular recordings from 1956 to 1969 are found on the Razor & Tie CD, The Walk: Jimmy McCracklin at His Best.

He recorded for Stax in Memphis in the '70s, and JSP in England in the '80s. He ended his recording career with two well-received CDs for Bullseye Blues, My Story (1991) and A Taste of the Blues (1994), which featured guest artists like Lowell Fulson, Johnny Otis and Irma Thomas. Here he is with Irma Thomas in 1991 singing “Tomorrow.”

Jimmy McCracklin wrote many other songs, most notably “Tramp,” which was a hit for Fulson and the duo of Otis Redding and Carla Thomas. He also claimed to have written “The Thrill is Gone,” which is usually credited to Roy Hawkins.

He continued to perform at blues festivals almost until his death. His last appearance was in 2010. Here's a live performance from 2007, with Jimmy singing a song he calls “At the Club.” Although the lyrics are different, R&B fans will recognize it as Amos Milburn's “Chicken Shack Boogie.”