I'm Jimmy Reed [Bluesville Acoustic Sounds Series]

by Jimmy Reed

Overview

In deciding where to start listening to Jimmy Reed, the man and his record label made it easy -- at the beginning. His debut LP release, I'm Jimmy Reed, was about as strong a first album as was heard in Chicago blues, but also no stronger (relatively speaking) than the first long-players issued of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and co. As was the case with most bluesmen of his generation, Reed's debut LP was really a collection of single sides than an actual album of new material (though some of it did hail from its year of release), consisting of tracks he'd recorded from June 1953 ("Roll & Rhumba") through March 1958 ("You Got Me Crying" etc.). So it's no surprise that it rivals The Best of Muddy Waters or any of the other 12" platters that were showing up from Reed's rivals at the end of the 1950s -- most of the blues labels put together their LPs the same way at first. But that also turns I'm Jimmy Reed into a treasure-trove of prime material from his repertory, including the songs on which he'd built his reputation over the previous five years, key among them "Honest I Do," "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby," "You Got Me Dizzy," and "You Don't Have to Go," plus their highly relevant B-sides, which help give this album more depth and breadth than a formal hits collection would have had. And in addition to Reed's singing and harp work, the album is also a superb showcase for guitarists Eddie Taylor and John Brim (the latter on the earliest material here), and drummer Earl Phillips. ~ Bruce Eder

Product Details

Release Date:	11/15/2024
Label:	Craft Recordings
UPC:	0888072579088

Tracks

1. Honest I Do [Remastered 2024]
2. Go On To School [Remastered 2024]
3. My First Plea [Remastered 2024]
4. Boogie In The Dark [Remastered 2024]
5. You Got Me Crying [Remastered 2024]
6. Ain't That Lovin' You Baby [Remastered 2024]
7. You Got Me Dizzy [Remastered 2024]
8. Little Rain [Remastered 2024]
9. Can't Stand To See You Go [Remastered 2024]
10. Roll & Rhumba [Remastered 2024]
11. You're Something Else [Remastered 2024]
12. You Don't Have To Go [Remastered 2024]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jimmy Reed   Primary Artist,Vocals,Harmonica,Guitar
Lee Baker   Guitar
Jimmy Reed Jr.   Bass
Mama Reed   Violin
W.C. Dalton   Guitar
Milton Rector   Bass
Morris Wilkerson   Drums
Willie Dixon   Bass
Henry Gray   Piano
Albert King   Drums
Al Duncan   Drums
Ray Scott   Drums
Remo Biondi   Violin,Guitar
Vernel Fournier   Drums
Phil Upchurch   Guitar
John Littlejohn   Guitar
Lefty Bates   Bass,Guitar
Earl Phillips   Drums
Eddie Taylor   Drums,Guitar,Guitar (Bass)
John Brim   Guitar

Technical Credits

Sid McCoy   Liner Notes
Edward G. Abner   Composer
Matt Robin   Reissue Producer
Calvin Carter   Composer
Jimmy Reed   Composer
Bill Putnam   Engineer
Ewart Abner   Composer
Les Fancourt   Liner Notes