Biography
This bass singer built an extended career that began in a country blues ensemble, extended to collaborations with the Ink Spots during the mid-1940s, and later included appearances on Ry Cooder and James Taylor sessions throughout the 1980s. Observers occasionally described the trajectory as unfocused, with one writer labeling it “meandering.” Cliff Givens, listed as Clifton Givens on his earliest recordings, nevertheless achieved a notable form of success valued by many musicians: as performers age, they tend to reduce the amount of gear they transport. In this regard he outpaced most instrumentalists by abandoning the cumbersome bass fiddle in favor of his own voice, which produced bass lines of exceptional swinging elegance.
Few vocalists attempting a walking bass timbre match the smoothness and ease he achieved. Much of the impetus for this striking shift came from producer Lillian Shedd McMurry, among the rare women operating a blues label in the early 1950s. She proposed that Givens vocalize the bass part rather than play the instrument during a Trumpet label session for harmonica master Sonny Boy Williamson II, yielding the remarkable duet “Mighty Long Time.” By that time Givens already ranked among the earliest bassists active in postwar electric blues. When Williamson later recorded in Chicago, the style evolved into the rocking Chicago blues, or urban blues, that underpins subsequent developments in both rock and soul. Givens, however, had already committed fully to singing, since demand for bass singers in Chicago blues ensembles remained comparable to that for sitar or penny whistle players.
He entered the Ink Spots after vocalist Hoppy Jones collapsed onstage and died in the mid-1940s. At the moment Givens belonged to the Southern Sons Quartet, yet he was recruited to replace Jones. The tenure proved brief; group leader Bill Kenny soon installed his own twin brother in the role, possibly weary of Givens’s presence. Even so, the interval sufficed to establish Givens as a genuine Ink Spot, distinct from the numerous imitators whose groups contained no actual link to the original lineup. It also placed him in the studio alongside the magnificent jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, resulting in some of the most distinguished recordings in the vocal genre. Although the Ink Spots achieved widespread recognition, Givens earned greater esteem for his contributions to the Golden Gate Quartet. The group’s intricate syncopation and complex harmonic interplay were precisely the qualities Ry Cooder sought to recapture on portions of his Bop Till You Drop album, which explains why Givens received the call. Beginning in 1953 and continuing through the close of the decade, he also supplied bass vocals for the Dominoes, appearing on numerous sides and occasionally taking the lead. One of his fellow vocalists during those years was the great soul singer Jackie Wilson, who likewise eventually collapsed and died onstage.
Few vocalists attempting a walking bass timbre match the smoothness and ease he achieved. Much of the impetus for this striking shift came from producer Lillian Shedd McMurry, among the rare women operating a blues label in the early 1950s. She proposed that Givens vocalize the bass part rather than play the instrument during a Trumpet label session for harmonica master Sonny Boy Williamson II, yielding the remarkable duet “Mighty Long Time.” By that time Givens already ranked among the earliest bassists active in postwar electric blues. When Williamson later recorded in Chicago, the style evolved into the rocking Chicago blues, or urban blues, that underpins subsequent developments in both rock and soul. Givens, however, had already committed fully to singing, since demand for bass singers in Chicago blues ensembles remained comparable to that for sitar or penny whistle players.
He entered the Ink Spots after vocalist Hoppy Jones collapsed onstage and died in the mid-1940s. At the moment Givens belonged to the Southern Sons Quartet, yet he was recruited to replace Jones. The tenure proved brief; group leader Bill Kenny soon installed his own twin brother in the role, possibly weary of Givens’s presence. Even so, the interval sufficed to establish Givens as a genuine Ink Spot, distinct from the numerous imitators whose groups contained no actual link to the original lineup. It also placed him in the studio alongside the magnificent jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, resulting in some of the most distinguished recordings in the vocal genre. Although the Ink Spots achieved widespread recognition, Givens earned greater esteem for his contributions to the Golden Gate Quartet. The group’s intricate syncopation and complex harmonic interplay were precisely the qualities Ry Cooder sought to recapture on portions of his Bop Till You Drop album, which explains why Givens received the call. Beginning in 1953 and continuing through the close of the decade, he also supplied bass vocals for the Dominoes, appearing on numerous sides and occasionally taking the lead. One of his fellow vocalists during those years was the great soul singer Jackie Wilson, who likewise eventually collapsed and died onstage.