Eddie Jefferson, American singer-songwriter (d. 1979)
Eddie Jefferson (August 3, 1918 – May 9, 1979) was an American jazz vocalist and lyricist. He is credited as an innovator of vocalese, a musical style in which lyrics are set to an instrumental composition or solo. Jefferson himself claims that his main influence was Leo Watson. Perhaps Jefferson's best-known song is "Moody's Mood for Love" which was recorded in 1952, though two years later a recording by King Pleasure would catapult the contrafact into wide popularity (King Pleasure even cites Jefferson as a personal influence). Jefferson's songs "Parker's Mood" and "Filthy McNasty" were also hits.