Description
Before every rock musician worth his or her salt claimed Robert Johnson as a primary influence and recorded his songs, Jimmy Reed had been the blues musician most frequently covered. If you could spare the time and browse the respective databases online, I bet you shall find more cover versions of Reed’s compositions than Johnson’s. But, please, save your life energy – listen to Jimmy Reed ‘Rocks’ on Bear Family Records®!
Everybody covered Jimmy Reed songs: Link Wray, Bill Cosby, Charlie Rich, The Blues Brothers (Jake and Elwood), Betty LaVette, Dale and Ronnie Hawkins, Etta James, Neil Young, The Texas Tornadoes – the list would go on and on. Even the King, while jamming with his old buddies Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana during the televised 1968 Comeback Special, couldn’t stop encoring Baby What You Want Me to Do (check uncut versions of the Special). If you think of the ‘60s R&B boom in England, Jimmy Reed was in everybody’s repertoire – alongside Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. And his influence lasted well into the 1990s and beyond, with garage bands and rockabilly acts still mining the Reed catalog.
Jimmy Reed was the first blues artist of the 1950s to crossover into the pop charts, and only B.B. King totaled more hits than Jimmy did. Reed was featured in significant rock & roll package tours crisscrossing the land, and audiences black and white loved him. His music was deceptively simple and invited many aspiring kids to try their hands on the laid-back shuffles and blueish boogies. His lyrics were witty, wise, humorous, and always structured around an irresistible hook-line. Jimmy Reed made you sing-a-long and dance all night! The Jimmy Reed sound and success would not have been possible without fellow Mississippian Eddie Taylor, responsible for the memorable guitar lines and riffs. We have included a few of Eddie’s own recordings for Vee-Jay as a bonus. They showcase his style from a different angle.
TRACK LISTING
01 I’m Going Upside Your Head – Jimmy Reed
02 I Don’t Go For That – Jimmy Reed
03 Baby, What You Want Me To Do – Jimmy Reed
04 Baby, What’s Wrong – Jimmy Reed
05 I’m Gonna Ruin You – Jimmy Reed
06 I’m A-Love You – Jimmy Reed
07 Shoot My Baby – Jimmy Reed
08 Bright Lights, Big City – Jimmy Reed
09 Take It Slow – Jimmy Reed
10 Ain’t That Lovin’; You Baby – Jimmy Reed
11 High And Lonesome – Jimmy Reed
12 Big Boss Man – Jimmy Reed
13 Come Love – Jimmy Reed
14 You’re Something Else – Jimmy Reed
15 I Ain’t Got You – Jimmy Reed
16 The Sun Is Shining – Jimmy Reed
17 Let’s Get Together – Jimmy Reed
18 Good Lover – Jimmy Reed
19 She Don’t Want Me No More – Jimmy Reed
20 When Girls Do It – Jimmy Reed
21 I Found My Baby – Jimmy Reed
22 State Street Boogie – Jimmy Reed
23 I’m The Man Down There – Jimmy Reed
24 My Bitter Seed – Jimmy Reed
25 Shame, Shame, Shame – Jimmy Reed
26 Bad Boy – Eddie Taylor
27 E.T. Blues – Eddie Taylor
28 Big Town Playboy – Eddie Taylor
29 Train Fare Home – Eddie Taylor
GENRE: Blues
BARCODE: 5397102175725
