Jimmy "Spoon" Witherspoon (8 August 1920-18 September 1997) was a
blues and
rnb singer. Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas, his father - a railway worker - sang in local choirs, and his mother played piano. He didn't pursue music professionally until after his stint in the Merchant Marines in World War II. On his return to the Unites States in 1944, he replaced
Walter Brown in
Jay McShann's band, and performed with Big
Joe Turner and
T-Bone Walker.