Eddie Hinton (15 June 1944 – 28 July 1995) was an
American songwriter and
session musician best known for his work with
soul music and
R&B singers. He played lead guitar for
Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section from 1967 to 1971.
As a session guitarist, Hinton played on hit records recorded by
Wilson Pickett,
Arthur Conley,
Aretha Franklin,
Joe Tex,
Solomon Burke,
Percy Sledge,
The Staple Singers,
The Dells,
Paul Kelly,
Johnny Taylor,
Elvis Presley,
The Box Tops,
R.B. Greaves,
Boz Scaggs,
Evie Sands,
Looking Glass,
Toots Hibbert and
Otis Redding.
Hinton was a songwriter in his own right as well. His most well known song is "
Breakfast in Bed" which has been recorded many times, most notably by
Dusty Springfield and by
UB40 with
Chrissie Hynde. He also co-wrote "It's All Wrong But It's All Right" sung by
Laura Lee.(Wikipedia)
Hard Luck Guy
Hinton
was a session guitarist non-pareil. After working with Southern bands
like the Spooks and the Five Minutes, he played lead guitar for Muscle
Shoals Sound rhythm section from 1967 to 1971. What most people didn't
know at the time was that
Hinton
was also a talented singer, songwriter, arranger and producer in his
own right. In the late '60s, Muscle Shoals was something of a hit
factory for Atlantic Records recording artists, under the careful,
patient tutelage of legendary producer
Jerry Wexler.
Hinton was just 22 when he was invited to the Shoals area by fellow songwriter and producer
Martin Greene. The
Hinton/
Greene
songwriting and producing team produced several country/soul hits,
including "Cover Me," and "It's All Wrong But It's Alright" for
Percy Sledge.(AllMusic)
Lovin Chain
Sadly,
Hinton's 1978 critically hailed Capricorn Records debut,
Very Extremely Dangerous, was released shortly before the Macon, Georgia-based label folded. In 1982,
Jimmy Johnson of the Muscle Shoals rhythm section took
Hinton
into the studio to record a half-dozen songs for a new album, but that
project was never released, and the blow to his ego, coupled with a
divorce, sent
Hinton
into a personal tailspin. Changing musical trends brought popular
tastes further away from blues and soul for a time in the '80s (until
the rise of
Stevie Ray Vaughan brought blues back into vogue) and
Hinton was living on the streets in Decatur, Alabama when he ran into an old friend, John D. Wyker. Wyker and
Hinton were friends in the University of Alabama's drum and bugle corps. Wyker saw to it that
Hinton again had housing and a plan to record again. With the help of some friends, Owen Brown and
Jeff Simpson, Wyker began recording
Hinton at Birdland Recording Studio and the new songs were combined with the tunes recorded by
Jimmy Johnson in 1982. The result was
Letters from Mississippi, an album that sparked a career renaissance for
Hinton.
Cover Me
It wasn't long before
Hinton
was in demand across Europe, Alabama, and the rest of the south for his
unique, soulful blues vocals and expert guitar technique. Wyker
continued to serve as a musical guru for
Hinton's career rebirth and brought the singer and guitarist to Rounder Records' Bullseye blues subsidiary.
Cry & Moan and
Very Blue Highway were the result.
Hinton
recovered his health and general well-being and moved back home to
Birmingham to live with his mother, all the while writing refreshingly
good original songs. He made a short tour of Italy before returning to
Birdland Studios in early 1995 to record a new album. As he was putting
finishing touches on the new batch of songs, he suffered a fatal heart
attack. The results,
Hard Luck Guy,
were released on a revived Capricorn Records in late 1998, and the
songs are some of the most soul-stirring, thoughtful, and well-recorded
tracks ever put on an album by a white blues artist. Anyone who is a fan
of
Otis Redding or
Al Green will latch onto these songs like a hummingbird to a magnolia blossom. Also worth seeking out are his two releases for Rounder,
Cry & Moan, and
Very Blue Highway, as well as his European-only release,
Letters from Mississippi.
Dreamer
To be sure,
Hinton
packed a lot of inspiring music into his 51 years by way of all the
legendary sessions on which he played lead guitar at Muscle Shoals. His
vocals were also singularly unique, firmly planted in the South and
drenched with second-nature blues and soul feeling.
Jerry Wexler's liner notes for
Hinton's last release,
Hard Luck Guy, (the title a nod to his prime influence,
Otis Redding,) released on a revived Capricorn Records, are worth the price of the disc in and of themselves.
Wexler says of
Hinton
in the liner notes: "He remains unique, a white boy who truly sang and
played in the spirit of the great black soul artists he venerated. With
Eddie it wasn't imitation; it was totally created, with a fire and fury
that was as real as
Otis Redding's and
Wilson Pickett's."(AllMusic)
Illustraded Eddie Hinton dicography (thanks Stephan)
ww.wirz.de/music/hintefrm.htm
.png)
.png)
.png){kind=link}