The Jimmy Dixon Group is relatively new to the rock & roll scene, playing a style of music that just makes you feel good.  Born west of Bodega Bay, California, Jimmy Dixon grew up to love rock & roll, songwriting, and the electric guitar.  His story is simple.  How the group came together, now, that's a bit more complicated...

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A few many moons ago, Jimmy Dixon was touring around northeast Oklahoma, playing wherever a man with an old, beat up 1955 Martin D-28 might be allowed to play.  Stopping for a bite to eat near Oologah one sweltering afternoon, Jimmy noticed a broken down Chevy Astro van parked on the side of the road.  Next to it, someone with a tattered, dust-covered brown leather jacket and a fine walrus mustache was trying to piece together a drum kit.  That someone happened to be none other than renowned session drummer, Chubbs Dixon (no relation).  Bonding over their shared love of the 5/4 time signature, Jimmy invited Chubbs to join him at his gig later that night.  They hit it off instantly and Chubbs has been drumming with Jimmy ever since.

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Not long thereafter, Jimmy and Chubbs were out on the road playing small clubs in northern Alabama.  The two musicians were passing through Tuscumbia on their way to a scheduled gig when they noticed a vagabond with a guitar case and a thumb in the air.  Needing to stop for a bathroom break anyways, Jimmy pulled over to the side of the road.  While striking up a conversation with the drifter, Jimmy found out the man was a guitar player who wished only for someone to give him some steady work.  Thinking on his feet, Jimmy offered up the following proposal: if this man had the chops to play only just a respectable version of "Rumble" by Link Wray right then and there, Jimmy might be that someone who could grant such a wish.  From out of an old hard-shell case came a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Special which the man proceeded to use to play, not just a respectable version of the 1958 groundbreaking classic, mind you, but a version so blistering, so hot, it brought grown men to tears.  That man, you ask?  You guessed it, only Minnetonka's finest jazz guitarist, Cranky Dixon (no relation).  As Jimmy was extending an invitation for Cranky to join him that night on stage at For The Record Music Hall & Bar, he noticed a woman approaching from over Cranky's shoulder.  With beautiful, curly, jet-black hair flowing down over her shoulders and long, slender fingers perfect for tickling the ivories, this just so happened to be Cranky's wife, "Midnight" Mae Dixon, and Jimmy was told in no uncertain terms that the two of them were a package deal.  Now as great as Cranky is on the lead guitar, if you ever get the chance to hear "Midnight" Mae play Franz Liszt's "Transcendental Etude No. 5", you would realize as quick as a coalminer's wink who was the better half.  Cranky and Mae fit in like two peas in a pod and have been playing lead guitar and piano, respectively, with Jimmy ever since.

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Informally going by Jimmy Dixon and The Vagabonds, the four were having some success playing the Mississippi blues scene; however it was decided that they could use some low frequency to boost their sound.  At that time, it was known around the Mississippi blues scene that no one could walk the bassline better than a man by the name of Gary Dixon (no relation) from right there in Okolona.  Gary was playing bass with a group calling themselves The King Bees and Jimmy knew it would be no easy task to pry him away.  At the end of a late night at Sam's Lounge in Jackson - and after a few rounds of their famous Rusty Nail - Gary let Jimmy in on what he wanted most: Gary wanted a chance to sing.  By offering him an opportunity to exclusively sing backing vocals along with playing bass, Jimmy knew this was his best chance to get his bass player.  Gary immediately accepted the offer and has been slapping his 1968 Hofner 500/1 bass with Jimmy and the gang ever since.

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Some time later, Jimmy Dixon and The Four Hoarsemen - as they were referred to at that time - made their way over to the Sante Fe area.  Taking in a performance of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos at the Lensic Performance Arts Center, Jimmy noticed a gentleman in the row directly in front of him who appeared to be mimicking the playing of the symphony's concertmaster.  The gentleman mirrored every move the concertmaster made that night and could have easily sat in his place without any discernable difference.  Knowing he had to speak to this gentleman before he became strangered in the night, Jimmy hurdled the row in front him once the final note of "Concerto No. 6 in B-Flat Major" had reverberated through the auditorium.  Jimmy had to know who this gentleman was and if he had any interest in joining a rock & roll band.  With a base of classical music knowledge that would leave even the great Claude Debussy stunned, the gentleman introduced himself as Benmont Dixon (no relation) and proceeded to tell the story of how he had been passed over for concertmaster even though he was the symphony's first chair second violinist.  Strangely, this came about due to a cribbage game misunderstanding that occurred at the conductor's lake house (you see, the American Cribbage Congress states that, in the cribbage count, a player does not have to play a run in consecutive order to receive points; for instance a run of 7-8-9 could also be played 7-9-8 or 8-9-7 or 9-8-7 or any such combination, but growing up Benmont's family either had not realized this small intricacy or refused to adhere to it and this did not sit well with the conductor - who strictly followed Congress rules and expected all players no matter their skill level to do the same - on that fateful evening).  Long story long, Benmont responded that he would be thrilled to join up with a rock & roll band.  And so he became the sixth member of the group.

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Commonly known around the Shreveport, Louisiana indie scene as Jimmy Dixon and His Five Star Band, the band began writing some original material.  Electric guitar rock & roll, acoustic guitar songwriter ballads, finger-picking ditties, the group began to combine these sounds with lyrics that many considered to be thoughtful and insightful.  But something was missing and no one could put their finger on it until, one night, in walked Capo Dixon (no relation) and his 1967 Martin D12-35 to open for Jimmy Dixon and His Five Star Band at The Riverside Warehouse.  There's nothing quite like the sustain coming from a vintage 12-string acoustic guitar.  Watching his opening act play that perfectly-aged 12-string rosewood acoustic guitar with a capo seemingly on a different fret for each song - we guess that's how he got his name - Jimmy knew he had to have Capo's sound in the band.  Capo agreed on one condition: the band chip in for a 2017 Rickenbacker 660/12 electric guitar he had seen on sale at Dave's Music & Thrift down in New Orleans.  Without hesitation, Jimmy agreed and Capo became the final, but no less integral, member of the group.

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...These days our band's name is simply The Jimmy Dixon Group and we are proud to have released our first album called "The Rough Demos".  It's rock & roll music that makes you feel good - we hope it might find a small space in your music rotation.  You can find our album almost anywhere one prefers to stream their favorite music or just click on this site's Music tab. "The Rough Demos" was recorded whenever and wherever we could find an empty studio and an engineer who had his back turned.  It includes contributions in some manner from every member of the group plus anyone who happened to wander into the studio while we were recording.  We expect our second album, "The Rough Demos II" will be completed later in 2024 - but if you check this site's Music tab, you might find some new tracks from this upcoming album.  Check back from time to time as Jimmy plans to post more tracks as they are finished.  And, as you may already know, with The Jimmy Dixon Group, all flubs, flaws, and faults are free of charge.

 

The Jimmy Dixon Group:

Jimmy Dixon - Lead vocals and some guitar

Capo Dixon - Rhythm guitar

"Midnight" Mae Dixon - Piano

Benmont Dixon - Strings

Chubbs Dixon - Drums

Gary Dixon - Bass and backing vocals

Cranky Dixon - Lead guitar