Gary Wiggins (musician) explained

Gary Wiggins
Landscape:yes
Birth Name:Gary Allen Wiggins
Alias:Detroit Gary Wiggins
Birth Date:10 November 1952
Birth Place:Inkster, Michigan, United States
Origin:Detroit, Michigan, United States
Death Place:Bissingen an der Teck, South Germany
Instrument:Saxophone, vocals
Genre:Jazz, Blues, Soul, Chicago Blues, Detroit blues, Funk, electric blues, Rhythm and blues
Occupation:Bandleader, songwriter, producer, and director
Label:Ornament Records, Imtrat, CrossCut Records
Years Active:1962 - 2020
Website:Official website

Gary Allen Wiggins, known as "Detroit" Gary Wiggins (November 10, 1952 – November 22, 2020)[1] was an American musician.

Biography

Born in Inkster, Michigan, United States, while he was still an infant his family moved to the west side of Detroit, on Oregon Street, where he was raised. His late mother, Ruth Russell Wiggins (1920-1999), reared him in the church where he began to perform on the saxophone with Brother Lawhorn in 1962. He attended Northwestern High School until 1970, and played in a jazz band while attending community college.[2]

At age 14, he played in Bobo Jenkins Blues Band,[3] in Detroit. Wiggins made his first recorded release "That Good Old Funky Feeling" on 45rpm at the age of 17 with his band, The Impacs.[4]

The Impacs were a backing band for several of the Detroit R&B vocal groups such as the Dramatics. After touring with the Dramatics and performing in such places as the Apollo in Harlem, the T.P. Warner Theater in Washington D.C. and tours through Panama, and the eastern coast of North America, he headed west and camped in California for five years. During this time he performed with musicians such as Eddie Shaw, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Johnny Heartsman, Roy Brown,[5] Big Mama Thornton,[4] [6] and many other musicians on the West Coast music scene.[7]

In 1982, he spent a year in the Chicago blues scene where he played in the bands of the late Lefty Dizz, Sunnyland Slim,[8] Johnny Littlejohn and Sugar Blue.[9] [10] [11] and they released three vinyls.[12]

Since moving to Europe in 1983 and in addition to producing several music concerts for Jazz Clubs and Festivals, he has toured with Charlie Musselwhite,[13] [14] Arnett Cobb,[15] [16] Screaming Jay Hawkins[4] [17] [18] Jimmy Rogers,[18] Johnny Copeland, Big Jay McNeely (Saxomania Tour, Europe),[4] [19] Katie Webster,[20] Scott Hamilton,[21] Louisiana Red and Carey Bell.[22]

He joined the Ray Charles show in Germany twice, and went to Japan. In Osnabrueck, Germany, Rannenberg and Wiggins founded the Pink Piano Jam Sessions[23] (where Arnett Cobb's last performance was recorded)[16] and, after moving to Berlin, he continued inviting international stars to the Berlin Blues Café.[24]

Wiggins played in the A-Trane[25] International Jazz Club Berlin - that announced him as "one of the most important american Saxophonists living in Europe",[26] – for more than 20 years, as well as Europe's oldest jazz club in Paris Le Caveau de las Huchette.[27] [28]

The International Blues Duo[29] produced and released three albums, and Wiggins has recorded with, among others, Bobby McFerrin,[30] Robert Covington,[31] and Roy Gaines.[32] [33] [34]

Wiggins won the Berlin Jazz & Blues Award in 2002 and the German Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik 1994 for Acoustic Soul, as well as appearing on the Gong Show in 1977 with Rick Murphy and David Winans as The Show Bizz Kids.[4] In his latter years he started acrylic painting and undertook several art projects.[35]

Wiggins died on November 22, 2020n in Bissingen an der Teck, South Germany, at the age of 68.[1]

Discography

As a side-person

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jazz Hot - Detroit Gary Wiggins, The Soul of Jazz and Blues. Jazzhot.net. 2021-08-07.
  2. Book: Cadence. 1993-01-01. B. Rusch. en.
  3. Web site: Radio Swiss Jazz - Musiker. Radioswissjazz.ch. 2016-07-13.
  4. Web site: Wiggins, Gary (Allen) – Encyclopedia of Jazz.com. Jazz.com. 2016-07-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20150905165357/http://www.jazz.com/encyclopedia/wiggins-gary-allen. 2015-09-05. dead.
  5. Book: Rauhut, Michael. Ich hab den Blues schon etwas länger: Spuren einer Musik in Deutschland. 2008-01-01. Ch. Links Verlag. 9783861534952. de.
  6. Web site: Feelingoodproductions Tours. Europejazz.net. 2016-07-10.
  7. Web site: Jimmy Scott. Soulfulkindamusic.net. 2016-07-10.
  8. Web site: "They came to keep the Blues alive" - The Michigan Chronicle. February 1, 1986. Facebook.com. 2016-07-13.
  9. Book: Svensk tidskrift för musikforskning: Swedish journal of musicology. 1986-01-01. Svenska samfunde. sv.
  10. Book: Rauhut, Michael. Ein Klang - zwei Welten: Blues im geteilten Deutschland, 1945 bis 1990. 2016-05-01. transcript Verlag. 9783839433874. de.
  11. Book: Living Blues. 1987-01-01. Center for the Study of Southern Culture, the University of Mississippi.
  12. Book: Blues Unlimited. 1982-01-01. BU Publications Limited. en.
  13. Web site: Neue Welt Ingolstadt/Konzerte Charlie Musselwhite & Gary Wiggins & Chris Rannenberg. Neuewelt-ingolstadt.de. 2016-07-10.
  14. Web site: Charlie Musselwhite & "Detroit" Gary Wiggins in Concert. Jazzdaten.ch. 2016-07-10.
  15. Web site: The Life of Arnett Cobb by Ingrid Montgomery-Swinton, Lizette Cobb. Issuu.com. 23 July 2009 . 2016-07-10.
  16. Web site: YouTube. Arnett Cobb's Last recorded performance. 2016-07-10.
  17. Web site: Screamin Jay Hawkins and "Detroit Gary Wiggins" Gallery. Facebook.com. 2016-07-10.
  18. Book: Wölfer, Jürgen. Jazz in Deutschland: das Lexikon; alle Musiker und Plattenfirmen von 1920 bis heute. 2008-01-01. Hannibal. 9783854452744. de.
  19. Web site: YouTube. "Reed Story" - starring "Detroit" Gary Wiggins. 2012-03-07. 2016-07-10.
  20. Web site: Illustrated Katie Webster discography. Wirz.de. 2016-07-10.
  21. Web site: Jazz in sanguinet: gary wiggins + scott hamilton — Sortir Bordeaux Gironde. Bordeaux.sortir.eu. 2016-07-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20160814060226/http://www.bordeaux.sortir.eu/concerts/jazz-in-sanguinet-gary-wiggins-scott-hamilton-le-20-juillet-a-21h-sanguinet-sous-chapiteau. 2016-08-14. dead.
  22. Web site: International Blues Projekt. Jazz. All About. Gallery. 2016-07-10.
  23. Book: Big City Blues Magazine. 1997-10-01. Detroit Blues Magazine. en.
  24. Book: Living Blues. 1994-01-01. Center for the Study of Southern Culture, The University of Mississippi. en.
  25. Web site: a-trane: Programm. a-trane.de. 2016-07-13.
  26. Web site: GARY WIGGINS COTTON CLUB ORCHESTRA @ A-Trane, Berlin. 2016-07-13.
  27. Web site: CAVEAU DE LA HUCHETTE - Les grands noms du Jazz. caveaudelahuchette.fr. 2016-07-10.
  28. Book: Doriz, Danny. 60 Ans de jazz au Caveau de la Huchette. Christian Mars. 2008. 978-2-8098-0033-3. Paris. 86–87.
  29. Web site: "Detroit" Gary Wiggins: Blues Photograph Collection (Blues Archive of the University of Mississippi Digital Collections). clio.lib.olemiss.edu. 2016-07-10.
  30. Web site: Catawiki. catawiki.de. 2016-07-10.
  31. Web site: Robert Covington--The Golden Voice of Robert Covington. Whiteis. David. Chicago Reader. 23 February 1989 . 2016-07-10.
  32. Web site: Roy Gaines - Going Home Too See Mama. Discogs. 1988 . 2016-07-10.
  33. Book: Saxophone Journal. 1992-01-01. Dorn Publications. en.
  34. Book: Blues Guide Germany: das Buch über den Blues in Deutschland: [Bands, Clubs, Agenturen, Labels, Festivals, Initiativen]]. 1997-01-01. Verlag Dirk Föhrs. 9783980449601. de.
  35. Web site: The Jazz of Art. 2020-05-10. Thejazzofart.webnode.com.

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