Willie Mitchell RIP
Willie Mitchell’s effect on American popular music has been enormous and his direct influence on my music is so obvious that upon listening to our first E.P, the man himself jokingly told me I owed him money. When Jump Back Jake started, the idea was to sound as much like the Hi-Rhythm section as possible with no apologies. The horn lines on the tag of “Treasure” were directly inspired by the arrangement he did on O.V. Wright’s “Nickel and a Nail,” and we remain to this day obsessed with the drum sounds he got on Al Green and Ann Peeble’s records among others. I once had occasion to see Willie leading a band who was backing up one of his new artists. Already in his 80s, he waved his cane in the air threatening that if the guitarist couldn’t stay in tune he’d come up there and keep him in tune. He was a force of nature and will be missed by everyone who cares about the art of recorded music. Another Memphis Trumpet player, Mickey Gregory, once told me that when Willie played, you felt him rather than heard him. Luckily we can all still listen to Soul Serenade and feel Willie Mitchell when we need him.
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Tags: Al Green, Ann Peebles, Hi Records, Hi Rhythm Section, O.V. Wright, Teenie Hodges, Willie Mitchell
