Jimmy Reed is a blues singer and songwriter from Dunleith, Mississippi. Reed moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1943. After a short stint in the Navy, he returned to Mississippi to marry his sweetheart, and then returned to Gary, Indiana, where he worked in a meat packing plant, and played blues music at night. From 1953 to 1966, Reed wasenjoyed a thirteen year career as a popular recording artist with the local Vee-Jay Records label. He was ill-equipped to handle the life of a touring musician, and his severe alcoholism kept his epilepsy undiagnosed for many years.
Mathis James “Jimmy” Reed (1925-1976), singer, songwriter, guitar, harmonica
Eddie Taylor (1923-1985), guitar, vocals
BluesHarp.Ca Biography of Jimmy Reed
Reed is an odd figure in pop music history. He was illiterate, and his music was very simple. Many songs are standard twelve-bar blues, with subject matter a bit less bleak than his contemporaries. He was the first blues musician to have a top 40 hit on the Billboard charts (“Honest I Do”, #32 in November, 1957). Tempos are relaxed, and Reed sings as though he’s half-awake. The best Jimmy Reed songs put you in a sleepy trance. Perhaps the strangest quirk is the presence of his wife Mary “Mama” Reed singing along on famous songs such as “Bright Lights, Big City”, “Big Boss Man” and “Baby, What You Want Me To Do”. Her guide vocal may have been necessary so that Reed knew the words, and when to sing them. Reed left an unlikely and remarkable legacy. He was particularly popular with the Rolling Stones, who recorded several of his songs early in their career.
No comments yet.
Source:
http://ift.tt/1uXkeum