Mathis James "Jimmy" Reed (September 6, 1925 - August 29, 1976[1]) was an American blues musician and songwriter notable for bringing his distinctive style of blues to mainstream audiences. Reed was a major player in the field of electric blues, as opposed to the more acoustic-based sound of many of his contemporaries. His lazy, slack-jawed singing, piercing harmonica and hypnotic guitar patterns were one of the blues' most easily identifiable sounds in the 1950s and 1960s.[2]Contents [hide] 1 Biography 2 Influence 3 Discography 3.1 Charting singles 3.2 Selected albums 4 See also 5 References 6 External links
[edit] Biography
Reed was born in Dunleith, Mississippi in 1925, learning the harmonica and guitar from Eddie Taylor, a close friend. After spending several years busking and performing in the area, Reed moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1943 before being drafted into the US Navy during World War II. In 1945, Reed was discharged and moved back to Mississippi for a brief period, marrying his girlfriend, Mary "Mama" Reed, before moving to Gary, Indiana to work at an Armour & Co. meat packing plant. Mama Reed appears as an uncredited background singer on many of his songs, notably the major hits "Baby What You Want Me to Do", "Big Boss Man" and "Bright Lights, Big City".
By the 1950s, Reed had established himself as a popular musician and joined the "Gary Kings" with John Brim, as well as playing on the street with Willie Joe Duncan. Reed failed to gain a recording contract with Chess Records, but signed with Vee-Jay Records through Brim's drummer, Albert King. At Vee-Jay, Reed began playing again with Eddie Taylor and soon released "You Don't Have to Go", his first hit record. This was followed by a long string of hits.
Reed maintained his reputation, in spite of rampant alcoholism; sometimes his wife had to help him remember the lyrics to his songs while performing.[citation needed] In 1957, Reed developed epilepsy, though the condition was not correctly diagnosed for a long time, as Reed and doctors assumed it was delirium tremens.[citation needed]
In spite of his numerous hits, Reed's personal problems prevented him from achieving the same level of fame as other popular blues artists of the time, though he had more hit songs than many others. When Vee-Jay Records closed down, Reed's manager signed a contract with the fledgling ABC-Bluesway label, but Reed was never able to score another hit.
In 1968 he toured Europe with the American Folk Blues Festival.[2]
Jimmy Reed died in Oakland, California in 1976,[1] of respiratory failure,[3] eight days short of his 51st birthday. He is interred in the Lincoln Cemetery in Worth, Illinois.
In 1991 Reed was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. [edit] Influence
The Rolling Stones have cited Reed as a major influence on their sound, and their early set lists included many of Reed's songs, including tracks like "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby", "The Sun is Shining" (also played at the Stones' 1969 Altamont concert), "Bright Lights, Big City" and "Shame, Shame, Shame" ; the B-side of their February 1964 hit single "Not Fade Away" was a pastiche of "Shame, Shame, Shame" entitled "Little by Little". Their first album, released in April 1964, featured their cover of Reed's "Honest I Do".
The Yardbirds recorded a instrumental dedicated to him entitled "Like Jimmy Reed Again", which was released on the "definitive edition" of their album Having a Rave Up with The Yardbirds.
"Big Boss Man" was sung regularly by Ron "Pigpen" McKernan with the Grateful Dead during the 1960s and early 1970s and appears on their live album Skull and Roses. It was revived a few times by Jerry Garcia with the Dead during the 1980s. Bob Weir of the Dead also played it a few times with Kingfish in the mid 70s, and more recently with Ratdog. Phil Lesh also plays it with Phil & Friends. The Grateful Dead have also performed Baby What You Want Me to Do with Brent Mydland on vocals.
Elvis Presley recorded several of Reed's songs, scoring a 1967 hit with "Big Boss Man" and recording several performances of "Baby, What You Want Me to Do" for his 1968 Comeback TV Special. (However, Presley's 1964 hit, "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" is a different song than that recorded by Reed.) The song "Baby, What You Want Me to Do" was also covered by Wishbone Ash on their 1972 live album, Live Dates. "Baby What You Want Me to Do" was also frequently performed by Etta James and Hot Tuna. Johnny and Edgar Winter performed the song live in 1975 and included it on Johnny and Edgar Winter Together.
Reed's recordings of "Big Boss Man" and "Bright Lights, Big City" were both voted onto the list of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
Noted Austin, Texas musicians, Omar Kent Dykes and Jimmie Vaughan released an album entitled On the Jimmy Reed Highway as a tribute to Reed.[4]
Bill Cosby covered four of Reed's songs – "Bright Lights, Big City", "Big Boss Man", "Hush Hush" and "Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth" – on his 1967 album Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings. [edit] Discography [edit] Charting singlesYear Single U.S. R&B Pop 1956 "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" 3 - "Can't Stand to See You Go" 10 - "I Don't Go for That" 12 - "I Love You Baby" 13 - 1957 "Honest I Do" 4 32 "Honey, Where You Going?" 10 - "Little Rain" 7 - "The Sun is Shining" 12 65 1958 "Down in Virginia" - 93 1959 "I Told You Baby" 19 - 1960 "Baby What You Want Me to Do" 10 37 "Found Love" 16 88 "Hush-Hush" 18 75 1961 "Big Boss Man" 13 78 "Bright Lights, Big City" 3 58 "Close Together" - 68 1962 "Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth" - 93 "Good Lover" - 77 1963 "Shame, Shame, Shame" - 52
[5] [edit] Selected albumsYear Album 1958 I'm Jimmy Reed 1959 Rockin' With Reed (Collectables) 1960 Found Love Now Appearing 1961 Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall 1962 Just Jimmy Reed 1963 Jimmy Reed Plays 12 String Guitar Blues Jimmy Reed Sings the Best of the Blues T'Ain't No Big Thing But He Is...Jimmy Reed 1964 Jimmy Reed at Soul City 1965 The Legend: The Man 1967 The New Jimmy Reed Album/Soulin' 1968 Big Boss Man/Down in Virginia 1971 Found Love 1974 Best of Jimmy Reed 1976 Blues Is My Business
