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:	0888072617612

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

Technical Credits

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