Jimmy Reed
| Jimmy Reed | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mathis James Reed |
| Born | September 6 1925 Dunleith, Mississippi |
| Died | August 29 1976 (aged 50) Oakland, California |
| Genre(s) | Blues |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Harmonica, Guitar |
| Years active | 1940s-1976 |
Mathis James "Jimmy" Reed (September 6, 1925 - August 2, 1976) was an American blues singer notable for bringing his distinctive style of blues to mainstream audiences. He was the best selling Chicago blues artist of the later 50s 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 early major player in the field of electric blues, whose simply, straightforward guitar and harmonica style proved a hit with R&B fans and had a major influence on early rock and roll players. 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.
Despite outselling his Chicago contemporaries in 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 revive his fortunes. He died in 1976 at the age of 51.
Biography
Early years
Reed was born on a plantation near Dunleith, Mississippi in 1925, where he lived until the age of 15. He learned the basics of harmonica and guitar from local semi-pro Eddie Taylor, who became a close friend.
After spending several years performing and playing for tips in the area, Reed move to Chicago, Illinois in 1943 before being drafted into the United States 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.
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 harmonica-holder hung over his neck. He joined the "Gary Kings, " playing harmonica with with guitarist John Brim with whom he also recorded. However, he attempted but failed to gain a recording contract with Chess Records, the premier record company for Chicago-based blues artists. 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 five 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.
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. Sometimes, his wife had to help him remember the lyrics to his songs while performing. His 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 reaches 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 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-Bluesway 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 audiences.
He lived a reclusive life in his final years before finally getting proper medical treatment and attempting a comeback playing the blues festivals that had achieved popularity by then. Jimmy Reed died in Oakland, California on August 29, 1976, a few days short of his 51st birthday. He is interred in the Lincoln Cemetery in Worth, Illinois.
Legacy
Reed produced 11 records that made the Billboard Hot 100 pop charts, a figure unmatched even by the best known bluesman of all time, B.B. King. Although not the most talented, passionate, or powerful of the Chicago bluesmen, Reed is arguably one of the most influential.
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 such as Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee," while his harmonica riffs were often copied by players like the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger.
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 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 demos to offer to record labels. Their February 1964 hit single "Not Fade Away" was backed by "Little by Little," a remake of Reed's "Shame, Shame, Shame." Their first album, The Rolling Stones released in April 1964, featured their cover of Reed's "Honest I Do."
Elvis Presley covered 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. "Big Boss Man" was also sung regularly by with the Grateful Dead's Ron McKernan, also known as "Pigpen," 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 release 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 posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Blues Hall of Fame. 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
| Year | Single | R&B Singles | U.S. Pop Singles |
| 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" | #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
| Year | Album |
| 1958 | I'm Jimmy Reed |
| 1959 | Rockin' With Reed (Collectables) |
| 1960 | Found Love |
| 1960 | Now Appearing |
| 1961 | Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall |
| 1962 | Just Jimmy Reed |
| 1963 | Jimmy Reed Plays 12 String Guitar Blues |
| 1963 | Jimmy Reed Sings The Best Of The Blues |
| 1963 | 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 |
See also
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- 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
- Webpage with detailed biography and photographs
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