Mathis James “Jimmy” Reed was one the first bluesmen to achieve “crossover” success, scoring hits on both the rhythm & blues and pop charts with “Honest I Do,” “Big Boss Man,” “Baby What You Want Me To Do,” “Bright Lights, Big City,” and others.
Few blues artists have ever developed the widespread appeal with both black and white audiences that Jimmy Reed had. Reed toured the country as a headliner on rock ‘n’ roll shows and was a favorite act on Southern college campuses during an era when African Americans could not even attend most of the schools where he played. Reed’s easygoing vocal delivery and basic blues beat were ready-made for singing along and dancing, and most of his songs dealt with the everyday joys and problems of love and romance. Legions of listeners were inspired to take up the guitar or harmonica because Reed made the music sound so effortless. Reed was born on the Shady Dell plantation in Dunleith, Mississippi, on Sept. 6, 1925. He began playing with his longtime partner, guitarist Eddie Taylor, in the Delta and resumed in Chicago in the 1940s. The unique Reed-Taylor sound
became one of the predominant styles in blues after Reed began recording for Vee-Jay Records in 1953, and his songs have been recorded hundreds of times by blues, R&B, rock, and country singers. Reed’s career might have reached even greater heights had he not had to deal with epilepsy and alcoholism. He died on tour in Oakland, California, on August 29, 1976. His children, some of whom had sung or played blues with him, embraced gospel music and formed the Seeds of Reed Ministry and a publishing company, Seeds of Reed Music.
Jim O’Neal
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