Willie Cobbs

Willie Cobbs (born July 15, 1932) is an American blues singer, harmonica player and songwriter. He is best known for his song "You Don't Love Me".

Willie Cobbs
Born (1932-07-15) July 15, 1932
Smale, Monroe County, Arkansas, United States
GenresBlues
Occupation(s)Singer, harmonica player and songwriter
InstrumentsHarmonica
Years active1950s–present

Born in Smale, Monroe County, Arkansas, United States, Cobbs moved to Chicago in 1951, where he occasionally performed in local clubs with Little Walter, Eddie Boyd and others.[1] He served in the American armed forces and then returned to Chicago, recording a number of singles on such labels as Ruler, a subsidiary of J.O.B. Records.

He first recorded his composition "You Don't Love Me" in 1960 for Mojo Records, a record label in Memphis, Tennessee, owned by Billy Lee Riley. The recording was leased to Vee-Jay Records for release.[1] Cover versions have been recorded by various artists, including the Allman Brothers Band; Grateful Dead; Richie Kotzen; Kaleidoscope; Quicksilver Messenger Service; John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers; Junior Wells; Magic Sam; and Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper and Stephen Stills on their 1968 album Super Session. Another cover version was the 1967 rocksteady rendition by Dawn Penn, entitled "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)".

In direct response to James Brown's message of "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud" (1968), Cobbs wryly observed that Brown was a millionaire by that point, as Cobbs retort was "Sing It Low - I'm Black and I'm Poor".[2]

Cobbs later released singles for various labels. He ran nightclubs in Arkansas and Mississippi through the 1970s and 1980s.[1] He went on to release the albums Hey Little Girl for the Wilco label in 1986 and Down to Earth for the Rooster Blues label in 1994.

He has performed at the King Biscuit Blues Festival and the Chicago Blues Festival.[3] He appeared in the 1991 film Mississippi Masala, performing the songs "Angel from Heaven" and "Sad Feelin'".[4]

References
  1. Dahl, Bill. Willie Cobbs Biography. Allmusic.com. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  2. Giles Oakley (1997). The Devil's Music. Da Capo Press. p. 230. ISBN 978-0-306-80743-5.
  3. Santelli, Robert (2011). The Big Book of Blues. Penguin Books. page 112. ISBN 0-14-100145-3.
  4. Mississippi Masala at IMDb
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