Saturday, August 15, 2009

R.I.P. Jim Dickinson, 1941-2009

Famed record producer and session pianist Jim Dickinson died today in Memphis, TN after recovering from triple bypass heart surgery earlier this summer, Commercial Appeal reports. He was 67 years old.

Whenever the likes of Bob Dylan or The Rolling Stones needed a pianist on a track, Dickinson was a preferred player in the 1960s and 70s. He played keys on the Stones’ “Wild Horses,” Aretha Franklin’s Spirit in the Dark album, and dozens of other classic recordings. Dickinson is perhaps even better known as a record producer, having produced Big Star’s 3rd, The Replacements’ Pleased to Meet Me, Mudhoney’s Tomorrow Hit, and many more.

His sons Cody and Luther Dickinson are famous musicians in their own right as members of the North Mississippi Allstars.

“He had a great life, and he was a consummate family man,” Dickinson’s wife, Mary, said. “He loved music and his family. And he loved Memphis music, specifically.”

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