|
|
| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| − | {{Infobox Musical artist
| |
| − | | Name =Jimmy Reed
| |
| − | | Img =
| |
| − | | Img_capt =
| |
| − | | Img_size =
| |
| − | | Landscape =
| |
| − | | Background =solo_singer
| |
| − | | Birth_name =Mathis James Reed
| |
| − | | Alias =
| |
| − | | Born ={{birth date|1925|9|6|mf=y}}<br />[[Dunleith, Mississippi|Dunleith]], [[Mississippi]]
| |
| − | | Died ={{death date and age|1976|8|29|1925|9|6|mf=y}}<br />[[Oakland, California|Oakland]], [[California]]
| |
| − | | Origin =
| |
| − | | Instrument =[[Singer|Vocals]], [[Harmonica]], [[Guitar]]
| |
| − | | Voice_type =
| |
| − | | Genre =[[Blues]]
| |
| − | | Occupation =
| |
| − | | Years_active =1940s-1976
| |
| − | | Label =
| |
| − | | Associated_acts =
| |
| − | | URL =
| |
| − | | Notable_instruments =
| |
| − | }}
| |
| − | '''Mathis James "Jimmy" Reed''' (September 6, 1925 - August 2, 1976) was an [[United States|American]] [[blues]] [[singer]], [[guitar[[ist, and ppharmonica[[ player. He was the best-selling Chicago blues artist of the later 1950s and early 60s, with classic blues hits such "Big Boss Man," "Bright Lights, Big City," "Baby What You Want Me To Do," and "Aint That Lovin' You Baby."
| |
| | | | |
| − | Reed was a major player in early days of [[electric blues]], whose unpretentious style proved highly popular with [[R&B]] fans. His lazy, slack-jawed singing, piercing harmonica, and hypnotic guitar patterns were one of the blues' most easily identifiable sounds in the 50s and 60s. He also had a major influence on [[rock and roll]] players, most notably the [[Rolling Stones]], among many others.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Despite outselling his Chicago contemporaries during his heyday, Reed's battles with [[alcoholism]] led to his early decline and caused him to be unable to take advantage of the [[blues revival]] of the late 60s and early 70s to resurrect his career. He died in 1976 at the age of 50. He was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 1991.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==Biography==
| |
| − | ===Early years===
| |
| − | Reed was born on a [[plantation]] near [[Dunleith, Mississippi|Dunleith]], [[Mississippi]] in 1925, where he lived until the age of 15. He learned the basics of [[harmonica]] and [[guitar]] from local semi-professional player [[Eddie Taylor]], who became a close friend.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | After spending several years performing in clubs and playing for tips in the area, Reed move to [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]] in 1943 before being [[Conscription in the United States|drafted]] into the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]]. In 1945, Reed was discharged and moved briefly back to Mississippi, marrying his girlfriend, Mary Reed, before moving to [[Gary, Indiana|Gary]], [[Indiana]] to work at an [[Armour & Co.]] meat packing plant.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ===Chicago and success===
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Reed soon began to break into the growing blues scene in Gary and nearby Chicago. By the early 50s, he had established himself as a popular musician known for his ability to play guitar and harmonica simultaneously by using a neck-brace harmonica holder. He joined the "Gary Kings," playing harmonica and guitar with [[John Brim]], with whom he also recorded. However, when Reed attempted to gain a [[recording contract]] with [[Chess Records]], the premier record company for Chicago-based blues artists, he was rebuffed. With the help of Brim's drummer and future guitar legend [[Albert King]] he then signed with [[Vee-Jay Records]]. At Vee-Jay, Reed began playing again with his old mentor, Eddie Taylor. His third single, "You Don't Have to Go," was his first [[hit record]], reaching number three on the Billboard [[R&B]] chart in 1956.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | A string of blues hits soon followed. Reed's simple, straightforward style was easy for fans to relate to and also highly danceable. He was soon outselling even the great Chess blues stars like [[Muddy Waters]], [[Howlin' Wolf]], and [[Little Walter]]. In New York, he not only played Harlem's famous [[Apollo Theater]] but also performed across town in the prestigious [[Carnegie Hall]], although his ''Live at Carnegie Hall'' album (1961) was actually a studio reproduction of his performance there.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Like some other successful bluesmen, Reed suffered from [[alcoholism]] but, unlike some of the them, did not hold is liquor well. He became notorious for being drunk on stage, slurring and forgetting his words, and losing the [[beat]]. His wife often had to help him remember the [[lyrics]] to his songs and stay on beat while performing. Reed's bouts we ''[[delirium tremens]]'' were so common that when he was stricken with [[epilepsy]] in 1957, the disease went undiagnosed for months.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Despite these problems, reed continued to succeed as a recording artist. He reached his peak in 1961 with the classic "Big Boss Man," followed by "Bright Lights, Big City," which reached number three on the R & B charts.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ===Decline and death===
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Although he had more hit songs than many of his peers, Reed's personal problems prevented him from achieving the same level of respect and long-term fame as other popular blues artists of the time. When Vee-Jay Records temporarily ceased operations in the second half of 1963, Reed's manager signed a contract with the fledgling [[ABC-Paramount Records|ABC-Bluesway]] [[record label|label]], but Reed was never able to score another hit. He made a minor comeback as a performer in the days of the blues revival of the late 60s and early 70s, but continued to prove unable to rise above his problems with [[alcohol]], often proving a disappointment to his new live audiences.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Reed lived a reclusive life in his final years before finally getting proper medical treatment and attempting a comeback playing at the blues festivals that had achieved popularity in the mid-70s. He died in [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], [[California]] on August 29, 1976, a few days short of his 51st birthday. He is interred in the Lincoln Cemetery in [[Worth, Illinois|Worth]], [[Illinois]].
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==Legacy==
| |
| − | Although not the most skillful, passionate, or powerful of the Chicago bluesmen, Reed is arguably one of the most influential. In addition to his numerous R & B hits, Reed produced 11 records that made the Billboard Hot 100 pop charts, a figure unmatched even by the most successful bluesman of all time, [[B.B. King]].
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Reed's simple style was easily imitated, and he became a major influence on other performers from [[Chuck Berry]] to [[Elvis Presley]], [[Hank Williams, Jr]]., and the [[Rolling Stones]]. His guitar style found its way into numerous [[rock and roll]] songs, while his [[harmonica]] riffs were often copied by players like the Rolling Stones' [[Mick Jagger]].
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Indeed, [[The Rolling Stones]] have cited Reed as a major influence on their sound, and their early set lists comprised many of Reed's songs. In their early years Stones [[sound recording and reproduction|recorded]] Reed songs like "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby," "The Sun is Shining,", "Close Together," "Bright Lights, Big City," and 'Shame, Shame, Shame" as [[demo (music)|demos]] to offer to [[record labels]]. Their February 1964 hit single "[[Not Fade Away (song)|Not Fade Away]]" was backed by "[[Little by Little (The Rolling Stones song)|Little by Little]]," an obvious remake of Reed's "Shame, Shame, Shame." Their first [[album]], ''[[The Rolling Stones (album)|The Rolling Stones]]'' released in April 1964, featured their [[cover version|cover]] of Reed's "Honest I Do."
| |
| − |
| |
| − | [[Elvis Presley]] covered several of Reed's songs, scoring a 1967 hit with "Big Boss Man" and performingof "Baby, What You Want Me to Do" for his [[Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special|1968 Comeback TV Special]]. "Big Boss Man" was also sung regularly by the [[Grateful Dead]]'s Ron "Pigpen" McKernan during the 60s and early 70s and appears on the live album ''Skull and Roses''.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Few blues bands omit Jimmy Reed from their set lists. In 2007, Austin Texas-based bluesmen [[Omar Kent Dykes]] and [[Jimmie]] Vaughan released a tribute album to Reed entitled ''On the Jimmy Reed Highway'' featuring guest performances by [[Kim Wilson]], [[Delbert McClinton]], [[James Cotton]], [[Lou Ann Barton]], and [[Gary Clark Junior]].
| |
| − |
| |
| − | In 1991 Reed was [[posthumous recognition|posthumously]] inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]. He became a member of the [[Blues Hall of Fame]] in 1980. His 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]].
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==Discography==
| |
| − | ===Charting singles===
| |
| − | {| class="wikitable"
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
| |
| − | | '''Year''' || '''Single''' || <small> [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|R&B Singles]] </small> || <small> [[Billboard Hot 100|U.S. Pop Singles]] </small>
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1956 || "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" || #3 || -
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | | 1956 || "Can't Stand to See You Go" || #10 || -
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | | 1956 || "I Don't Go for That" || #12 || -
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | | 1956 || "I Love You Baby" || #13 || -
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | | 1957 || "Honest I Do" || #4 || #32
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | | 1957 || "Honey, Where You Going?" || #10 || -
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | | 1957 || "Little Rain" || #7 || -
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | | 1957 || "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
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | | 1960 || "Found Love" || #16 || #88
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | | 1960 || "Hush-Hush" || #18 || #75
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | | 1961 || "[[Big Boss Man (song)|Big Boss Man]]" || #13 || #78
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | | 1961 || "Bright Lights, Big City" || #3 || #58
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | | 1961 || "Close Together" || - || #68
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | | 1962 || "Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth" || - || #93
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | | 1962 || "Good Lover" || - || #77
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | | 1963 || "Shame, Shame, Shame" || - || #52
| |
| − | |}
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ===Selected albums===
| |
| − | {| class="wikitable"
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
| |
| − | | '''Year''' || '''Album'''
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1958 || ''[[I'm Jimmy Reed]]''
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1959 || ''[[Rockin' With Reed (Collectables)]]''
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1960 || ''[[Found Love]]''
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1960 || ''[[Now Appearing]]''
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1961 || ''[[Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall]]''
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1962 || ''[[Just Jimmy Reed]]''
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1963 || ''[[Jimmy Reed Plays 12 String Guitar Blues]]''
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1963 || ''[[Jimmy Reed Sings The Best Of The Blues]]''
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1963 || ''[[T'Ain't No Big Thing But He Is...Jimmy Reed]]''
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1964 || ''[[Jimmy Reed At Soul City]]''
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1965 || ''[[The Legend: The Man]]''
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1967 || ''[[The New Jimmy Reed Album/Soulin']]''
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1968 || ''[[Big Boss Man/Down In Virginia]]''
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1971 || ''[[Found Love]]''
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1974 || ''[[Best Of Jimmy Reed]]''
| |
| − | |-
| |
| − | |-bgcolor="#FOF8FF"
| |
| − | | 1976 || ''[[Blues Is My Business]]''
| |
| − | |}
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==See also==
| |
| − | *[[Blues]]
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==References==
| |
| − | *Obrecht, Jas. ''Rollin' and Tumblin': The Postwar Blues Guitarists''. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books, 2000. ISBN 9780879306137
| |
| − | *O'Neal, Jim, and Amy Van Singel. ''The Voice of the Blues: Classic Interviews from Living Blues Magazine''. New York: Routledge, 2002. ISBN 9780415936545
| |
| − | *Romano, Will. Big Boss Man: ''The Life and Music of Jimmy Reed''. San Francisco, CA: Backbeat Books, 2006. ISBN 9780879308780
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==External links==
| |
| − | * [http://www.blues.org/halloffame/inductees.php4?YearId=25 Biography at the Blues Hall of Fame]]
| |
| − | * [http://www.bluesharp.ca/legends/jreed.html Webpage with detailed biography and photographs]
| |
| − | *[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqbtTQAkaNM Jimmy Reed sings "Big Boss Man'']
| |
| − |
| |
| − | [[Category:biography]]
| |
| − | [[Category:art, music, literature, sports and leisure]]
| |
| − | [[Category:music]]
| |
| − | [[Category:musicians]]
| |
| − | {{credit|249973064}}
| |
