Eddie Vinson
Eddie Vinson | |
|---|---|
Vinson in May 1980. | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson |
| Born | Edward L. Vinson Jr. December 18, 1917 |
| Died | July 2, 1988 (aged 70) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Jump blues, R&B, jazz |
| Occupations | Saxophonist, singer, composer |
| Years active | 1930s–1988 |
| Labels | King Records, Mercury, Black & Blue, ABC-BluesWay, Muse |
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (born Edward L. Vinson Jr.; December 18, 1917 – July 2, 1988) was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed "Cleanhead" after an incident in which his hair was accidentally removed by lye contained in a hair-straightening product, necessitating shaving it off; enamoured of the look, Vinson maintained a shaved head thereafter. Music critic Robert Christgau has called Vinson "one of the cleanest, and nastiest, blues voices you'll ever hear."