RIP: Jim Dickinson

From CMT:

The music world is mourning the loss of musician and producer Jim Dickinson, who died Saturday (Aug. 15) at a Memphis hospital after undergoing heart surgery earlier this year. He was 67. He is perhaps best known for his work as a session musician, having played piano on the Rolling Stones' 1969 recording of "Wild Horses" and Bob Dylan's 1997 album, Time Out of Mind. His production work included projects with the Replacements, Big Star, Ry Cooder and, more recently, singer-songwriter Amy LaVere. In addition to his recordings with the Atlantic Records house band, the Dixie Flyers, Dickinson also recorded a series of solo albums, including Dinosaurs Run in Circles, released earlier this year. His sons, Cody and Luther Dickinson, are members of the roots music band, the North Mississippi Allstars.

From Baltimore Magazine:

Bob Dylan and Jim Dickinson, who passed away yesterday, were kindred spirits. When Dylan won his Grammy for Time Out of Mind, he thanked “Jim Dickinson, my brother from Mississippi” in his acceptance speech. In Chronicles, Dylan wrote that he found himself “thinking about Jim Dickinson” while recording Oh Mercy in New Orleans and noted that “we had a lot of things in common and it would have been good to have him around.” And during the “Street Map” segment of Theme Time Radio, Dylan referred to Dickinson as “that magical musical maestro from Memphis” and claimed “he was the kind of guy you could call to play piano, fix a tractor, or make red cole slaw from scratch.” It’s high praise, and well deserved.

As Dylan wrote, Dickinson had “manic purpose” and recorded the last single, “Cadillac Man,” for Sun Records; played with the Stones (“Wild Horses”), Ry Cooder (including the Paris, Texas soundtrack), and Aretha Franklin (Spirit in the Dark); and produced albums by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Big Star, and The Replacements. He also cut a handful of excellent solo albums, including Dixie Fried, Free Beer Tomorrow, and Jungle Jim and the Voodoo Tiger.

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