Jimmy Reed

Music critic Cub Koda describes him as "perhaps the most influential bluesman of all," due to his easily accessible style.

• Name — Jimmy Reed • Birth Name — Mathis James Reed • Born — 6 September 1925 • Birthplace — Dunleith, Mississippi, U.S. • Died — 29 August 1976 • Place of death — Oakland, California, U.S. • Instrument — * Guitar • vocals • harmonica • Genre — Blues, electric blues • Occupation — * Musician • songwriter • Years Active — 1940s–1976 • Label — Vee-Jay

Reed was born in Dunleith, Mississippi. He learned the harmonica and guitar from his friend Eddie Taylor. After several years of busking and performing there, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1943. He was then drafted into the U.S. Navy and served in World War II. He was discharged in 1945 and returned briefly to Mississippi, marrying his girlfriend, Mary (henceforth known as Mama Reed). Mama Reed would be an uncredited background singer on many of his recordings, notably the hits "Baby What You Want Me to Do", "Big Boss Man" and "Bright Lights, Big City". He then moved to Gary, Indiana, to work at an Armour meat-packing plant. By the 1950s, Reed had established himself as a popular musician. He joined the Gary Kings with John Brim and played 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. It was followed by a long string of hit songs. Reed maintained his reputation despite his rampant alcoholism; his wife sometimes had to help him remember the lyrics to his songs while recording. 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. When Vee-Jay Records closed, his manager signed a contract with the fledgling ABC-Bluesway label, but Reed never produced another hit. In 1968, he toured Europe with the American Folk Blues Festival. • Illustration — Reed's grave at Lincoln Cemetery Reed died of respiratory failure in 1976, in Oakland, California, eight days short of his 51st birthday. He is interred in the Lincoln Cemetery, in Blue Island, Illinois. Reed was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

• Year — Single (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated — U.S. R&B — U.S. || Album • 1953 — "High and Lonesome" b/w "Roll and Rhumba" (from I'm Jimmy Reed) — — — — — The Legend – The Man • 1954 — "Jimmie's Boogie" b/w "I Found My Baby" — — — — — Non-album tracks • 1955 — "You Don't Have to Go" b/w "Boogie in the Dark" — 5 — — — I'm Jimmy Reed • "I'm Gonna Ruin You" b/w "Pretty Thing" — — — — — Non-album tracks • "I Don't Go for That" b/w "She Don't Want Me No More" — 12 — — • 1956 — "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" b/w "Baby, Don't Say That No More" (from History of Jimmy Reed) — 3 — — — I'm Jimmy Reed • "Can't Stand to See You Go" b/w "Rockin' with Reed" (from Rockin' with Reed) — 10 — — • "I Love You Baby" b/w "My First Plea" (from I'm Jimmy Reed) — 13 — — — Non-album track • "You've Got Me Dizzy" b/w "Honey Don't Let Me Go" (non-album track) — 3 — — — I'm Jimmy Reed • 1957 — "Little Rain" / — 7 — — • "Honey, Where You Going?" — 10 — — — Non-album track • "The Sun Is Shining" b/w "Baby, What's on Your Mind" (from Rockin' with Reed) — 12 — 65 — The Best of Jimmy Reed • "Honest I Do" b/w "Signals of Love" (non-album track) — 4 — 32 — I'm Jimmy Reed • 1958 — "You're Something Else" b/w "A String to Your Heart" (from Rockin' with Reed) — — — — • "You Got Me Crying" b/w "Go On to School" — — — — • "I'm Gonna Get My Baby" b/w "Odds and Ends" (from Jimmy Reed with More of the Best) — 5 — — — Non-album track • "Down in Virginia" b/w "I Know It's a Sin" — — — 93 — Rockin' with Reed • 1959 — "I Told You Baby" b/w "Ends and Odds" (from Rockin' with Reed) — 19 — — — Blues Is My Business • "Take Out Some Insurance" b/w "You Know I Love You" (from History of Jimmy Reed) — — — — — Rockin' with Reed • "Going to New York" b/w "I Wanna Be Loved" — — — — • 1960 — "Baby What You Want Me to Do" b/w "Caress Me Baby" (from Rockin' with Reed) — 10 — 37 — Found Love • "Found Love" b/w "Where Can You Be" — 16 — 88 • "Hush-Hush" b/w "Going by the River", Part 2 — 18 — 75 • 1961 — "Close Together" b/w "Laughing At the Blues" — 12 — 68 — Now Appearing • "Big Boss Man" b/w "I'm a Love You" (from Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall) — 13 — 78 — Found Love • "Bright Lights, Big City" b/w "I'm Mr. Luck" — 3 — 58 — Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall • 1962 — "Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth" b/w "Baby What's Wrong" — — — 93 • "Good Lover" b/w "Tell Me You Love Me" (from Jimmy Reed At Carnegie Hall) — — — 77 — Just Jimmy Reed • "Too Much" b/w "I'll Change My Style" (non-album track) — — — — • "Oh John" b/w "Let's Get Together" — — — — • 1963 — "Shame, Shame, Shame" b/w "There'll Be a Day" — — — 52 — T'aint No Big Thing but He Is... • "Mary Mary" b/w "I'm Gonna Help You" — — — — • "Outskirts of Town" b/w "St. Louis Blues" — — — — — Jimmy Reed Sings the Best of the Blues • 1964 — "Help Yourself" b/w "Heading for a Fall" (non-album track) — — — — — Jimmy Reed at Soul City • "Down in Mississippi" b/w "Oh John" (from Just Jimmy Reed) — — — — — Jimmy Reed with More of the Best • "I'm Going Upside Your Head" b/w "The Devil's Shoestring", Part 2 — — — — — Jimmy Reed at Soul City • "I Wanna Be Loved" b/w "A New Leaf" — — — — • 1965 — "Left Handed Woman" b/w "I'm The Man Down There" (from History of Jimmy Reed) — — — — • "When Girls Do It" b/w "Don't Think I'm Through" — — — — — Non-album tracks • 1966 — "Knockin' at Your Door" b/w "Dedication to Sonny Boy Williamson" — 39 — — — Soulin • "Cousin Peaches" b/w "Crazy 'Bout Oklahoma" — — — — • "Got Nowhere to Go" b/w "Two Ways to Skin (A Cat)" — — — — — The New Jimmy Reed Album • 1967 — "I Wanna Know" b/w "Two Heads Better Than One" — — — — • "Don't Press Your Luck Woman" b/w "Feel Like I Want to Ramble" — — — — — Soulin • "Crazy About Oklahoma" b/w "Buy Me a Hound Dog" — — — — • 1968 — "My Baby Told Me" b/w "Peepin 'n Hidin" (from Soulin) — — — — — Big Boss Man • 1969 — "Don't Light My Fire" b/w "The Judge Should Know" — — — — — Down in Virginia • 1970 — "Hard Walkin' Hanna", Part 1 b/w "Hard Walkin' Hanna", Part 2 — — — — — As Jimmy Is • "Crying Blind" b/w "Christmas Present Blues" — — — — • 1971 — "Big Legged Woman" b/w "Funky Funky Soul" — — — — • "Cold Chills" b/w "You're Just a Womper Stomper" — — — — — Let the Bossman Speak!

• Year — Album — Peak chart positions • US 200 • 1958 — I'm Jimmy Reed — — • 1959 — 'Rockin' with Reed — — • 1960 — Found Love — — • Now Appearing — — • 1961 — Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall [2LP] — 46 • 1962 — Just Jimmy Reed — 100 • 1963 — T'ain't No Big Thing but He Is...Jimmy Reed — — • Jimmy Reed Sings the Best of the Blues — — • Jimmy Reed Plays 12 String Guitar Blues — — • 1964 — Jimmy Reed with More of the Best — — • 1967 — The New Jimmy Reed Album — — • Soulin — — • 1968 — Big Boss Man — — • 1969 — Down in Virginia — — • 1970 — As Jimmy Is (AKA Hard Walking Hanna) — — • 1971 — Let the Bossman Speak! (AKA Cold Chills) — — • 1973 — I Ain't from Chicago — — • 1974 — Blues is My Business — —

• Year — Album • 1962 — The Best of Jimmy Reed • 1964 — Jimmy Reed at Soul City • 1965 — The Legend – The Man • 1972 — History of Jimmy Reed [2LP] • 1976 — Jimmy Reed is Back • 1980 — Upside Your Head (Charly CRB-1003) • 1981 — High and Lonesome (Charly CRB-1013) • Got Me Dizzy (Charly CRB-1028) • 1983 — Shame Shame Shame (Krazy Kat KK 781) • 1984 — Cold Chills (Krazy Kat KK 786) • 1985 — I'm the Man Down There (Charly CRB-1082) • 1993 — Speak the Lyrics to Me, Mama Reed (Vee Jay NVD2-705)

Jimmy Reed is recorded as guitarist, singer-songwriter, singer, musician and composer. Recorded at birth as Mathis James Reed. Identity and origins. He also worked under the name Jimmy Reed. His recorded language was English. He married Mary Lee Reed.