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Jimmy Reed
American musician
Quick Facts
- In full:
- Mathis James Reed
- Born:
- September 6, 1925, Dunleith, Mississippi, U.S.
- Died:
- August 29, 1976, Oakland, California (aged 50)
- Awards And Honors:
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (1991)
Jimmy Reed (born September 6, 1925, Dunleith, Mississippi, U.S.—died August 29, 1976, Oakland, California) was an American singer, harmonica player, and guitarist who was one of the most popular blues musicians of the post-World War II era. Reed began recording with the Chicago-based label Vee Jay in 1953 and had a string of hits in the 1950s and ’60s that included “Honest I Do,” “Baby, What You Want Me to Do,”, “Big Boss Man,” and “Bright Lights, Big City.” They almost invariably featured the same basic, unadorned rural boogie-shuffle rhythm accompanied by his thickly drawled “mush-mouth” vocals and high, simply ...(100 of 188 words)