Joe Tex | Artist

Joseph Arrington Jr., aka Joe Tex, was an American soul-funk singer and musician born 1935 in Rogers, Texas. He gained success in the 1960s and 70s with his brand of Southern soul, which mixed the styles of funk, country, gospel, and rhythm and blues. Tex had a strong rivalry with fellow King Records artist James Brown and they referenced each others' work and played out their feud in song lyrics. His career started after he was signed to King Records in 1955 following four wins at the Apollo Theatre. After a sting of 30 singles that failed in the charts, Tex finally had a major hit in 1964 with "Hold What You've Got". He went on to have three further million-selling hits, "Skinny Legs and All" (1967), "I Gotcha" (1972), and "Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)" (1977), the latter song marking a crossover between R&B to the Disco scene. In 1972, at the height of his fame, Tex announced his retirement from show business to pursue life as a minister for Islam. He then returned to his music following the death of Elijah Muhammad in 1975, releasing the top 40 R&B hit, "Under Your Powerful Love". His last hit, "Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)", was released in 1977 and peaked at number 12 on the Hot 100 and number 2 in the UK. Tex died at the age of 49 leaving behind several excellent albums including Hold What You've Got, Live and Lively, Happy Soul, From the Roots Came the Rapper and I Gotcha.

Artist Website: wikipedia/Joe_Tex

Featured Albums: Joe Tex

Related Artists: James Brown

Video Clips: I Gotcha, You Got What it Takes, Aint Gonna Bump no More