Dixon, Floyd

Dixon, Floyd 8 February 1929; Marshall, TX Singer, pianist, songwriter. A pianist with impressivec technique and impeccable timing, Dixon was instrumental in the evolution of jump-blues into R&B, both as a mentor to Ray Charles and as a successful singer in his own right. Dixon, who wrote “ Homesick Blues ” while still a teenager, idolized fellow Texan Charles Brown, who he met at talent contest at which Brown’s group, the Three Blazers, was headlining. Dixon moved to Los Angeles as a teenager…