Walter Vinson, born Walter Jacobs on February 2, 1901, in Bolton, Mississippi, was an American Memphis blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Erroneously known as Walter Vincson or Walter Vincent, Vinson sometimes recorded under Vinson's mother's maiden name. Vinson began performing locally in the early 1920s, collaborating with other musicians before teaming with Lonnie Chatmon in 1928 to form the Mississippi Sheiks. The group recorded approximately one hundred sides during the first half of the 1930s, including original compositions like "The World Is Going Wrong" (1931) and "I've Got Blood in My Eyes for You" (1931), as well as the famous blues standard "Sitting on Top of the World". Vinson claimed to have composed the standard one morning after playing at a dance in Greenwood, Mississippi. After the group disbanded in 1933, Vinson moved to Jackson, Mississippi, then to New Orleans, and finally to Chicago. Following a lengthy break from music, Vinson returned to performing in 1960, playing at music festivals until ill health curtailed public appearances. Vinson died on April 22, 1975, in Chicago. In 2004, the Mississippi Sheiks were inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame, and "Sitting on Top of the World" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.
