Reed was born in Dunleith, Mississippi, in 1925, learning the harmonica and guitar from Eddie Taylor, a close friend. After spending several years busking and performing in the area, Reed moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1943 before being drafted into the US Navy during World War II. In 1945, Reed was discharged and moved back to Mississippi for a brief period, marrying his girlfriend, Mary "Mama" Reed, before moving to Gary, Indiana to work at an Armour & Co. meat packing plant. Mama Reed appears as an uncredited background singer on many of his songs, notably the major hits "Baby What You Want Me to Do", "Big Boss Man" and "Bright Lights, Big City".
By the 1950s, Reed had established himself as a popular musician and joined the "Gary Kings" with John Brim, as well as playing 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. This was followed by a long string of hits.
Reed maintained his reputation despite his rampant alcoholism; sometimes his wife 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.
In spite of his numerous hits, Reed's personal problems prevented him from achieving the same level of fame as other popular blues artists of the time, though he had more hit songs than many others. When Vee-Jay Records closed down, Reed's manager signed a contract with the fledgling ABC-Bluesway label, but Reed was never able to score another hit.
In 1968 he toured Europe with the American Folk Blues Festival.
Jimmy Reed died in Oakland, California in 1976, of respiratory failure, eight days short of his 51st birthday. He is interred in the Lincoln Cemetery in Worth, Illinois.
In 1991 Reed was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Rolling Stones have cited Reed as a major influence on their sound, and their early set lists included many of Reed's songs, including tracks like "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby", "The Sun is Shining" (also played at the Stones' 1969 Altamont concert), "Bright Lights, Big City" and "Shame, Shame, Shame" ; the B-side of their February 1964 hit single "Not Fade Away" was a pastiche of "Shame, Shame, Shame" entitled "Little by Little". Their first album, The Rolling Stones, (subtitled England's Newest Hit Makers in America), released in April 1964, featured both "Little by Little" and their cover of Reed's "Honest I Do".
The Yardbirds recorded an instrumental dedicated to him entitled "Like Jimmy Reed Again", which was released on the "definitive edition" of their album Having a Rave Up.
Van Morrison's group Them covered "Bright Lights, Big City" and "Baby, What You Want Me To Do", both of which can be found on The Story of Them Featuring Van Morrison.
"Big Boss Man" was sung regularly by Ron "Pigpen" McKernan with the Grateful Dead during the 1960s and early 1970s and appears on their live album Skull and Roses. It was revived a few times by Jerry Garcia with the Dead during the 1980s. Bob Weir of the Dead also played it a few times with Kingfish in the mid 70s, and more recently with Ratdog. Phil Lesh also plays it with Phil & Friends. The Grateful Dead have also performed Baby What You Want Me to Do with Brent Mydland on vocals.
Elvis Presley recorded several of Reed's songs, scoring a 1967 hit with "Big Boss Man" and recording several performances of "Baby, What You Want Me to Do" for his 1968 Comeback TV Special. (However, Presley's 1964 hit, "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" is a different song than that recorded by Reed.) The song "Baby, What You Want Me to Do" was also covered by Wishbone Ash on their 1972 live album, Live Dates. "Baby What You Want Me to Do" was also frequently performed by Etta James and Hot Tuna. Johnny and Edgar Winter performed the song live in 1975 and included it on Johnny and Edgar Winter Together.
Reed's recordings of "Big Boss Man" and "Bright Lights, Big City" were both voted onto the list of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
Noted Austin, Texas musicians, Omar Kent Dykes and Jimmie Vaughan released an album entitled On the Jimmy Reed Highway as a tribute to Reed.
Bill Cosby covered 4 of Reed's songs – "Bright Lights, Big City", "Big Boss Man", "Hush Hush" and "Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth" – on his 1967 album Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings.
Steve Miller Band covered 5 of Reed's songs – "You're So Fine" on his 1968 album Sailor; "I Wanna Be Loved (But By Only You)", "Big Boss Man", "Caress Me Baby" and "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" on his 1986 album Living in the 20th Century.
Neil Young historically plays Reed's music to his audience before his shows.
British punk pioneer Billy Childish and his band Thee Headcoats released an EP of Reed covers entitled The Jimmy Reed Experience on Get Hip Records in 1997.
You're Something Else
Jimmy Reed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Honest you do
Ain't nobody in the whole round world
Can, thrill me like ya do
'Cause you somethin' else
Yeah, you somethin' else
Yeah you pretty li'l thing
When you kiss me baby
Tell it all over myself
You, itty, bitty, pretty li'l thing
And I'm into somethin' else
'Cause you somethin' else
Yeah, you somethin' else
Yeah, you pretty li'l thing
I'm into somethin' else
When I first met you baby
Nothin' but a child
You done made me love ya baby
Ya 'bout to drive me wild
'Cause you somethin' else
Aww, you somethin' else
Yeah, you pretty little thing
I'm into somethin' else
Honey, you ain't no stallion
But you still look fine
Itty, bitty, pretty li'l thing
'Bout to drive me outta my mind
'Cause you somethin' else
Aw, you somethin' else
Yeah, you pretty little thing
I'm into somethin' else
In the song You're Something Else by Jimmy Reed, the singer describes his intense attraction to his lover. He is taken over by the sensation of being absolutely smitten and incapable of resisting this person's allure. The opening lines reveal this overwhelming feeling of being sent by his lover. The singer acknowledges that no one in the entire world can thrill him quite like his lover does. This intense sensation is why the singer refers to his lover as "something else" which emphasizes his lover's uniqueness and specialness. He sings that this person is a "pretty li'l thing", which showcases how the singer finds this person to be incredibly charming.
In the second verse, the singer describes the physical sensation of being kissed by his lover. He emphasizes how their kisses are so intense that he feels like he's telling it all over himself, almost as though he's lost control. The singer also reveals that he met this person when she was a child, highlighting how they've grown together and his love for them has only increased with time. The final verse describes how his lover's beauty transcends a purely physical appearance, as the singer acknowledges that even though his lover may not be a "stallion", they still look fine. He concedes that he's about to go crazy for them, reinforcing the intensity of his love.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby you send me
When I'm with you, I feel an overwhelming sense of joy and affection
Honest you do
I trust and believe in the feelings you express towards me
Ain't nobody in the whole round world
Out of all the people in the world, no one else has the same effect on me
Can, thrill me like ya do
No one else can excite and please me the way you do
'Cause you somethin' else
You are truly unique and special to me
Yeah, you somethin' else
You have a one-of-a-kind quality that I appreciate and admire
Yeah, you pretty li'l thing
I find you to be beautiful and attractive
I'm into somethin' else
Being with you makes me feel different and excited
When you kiss me baby
Your affectionate gestures towards me make me feel loved and appreciated
Tell it all over myself
The way you express your feelings towards me leaves a lasting impact on me
You, itty, bitty, pretty li'l thing
I find you to be small and cute, which I adore about you
And I'm into somethin' else
Being with you brings out a different side of me that I enjoy
When I first met you baby
Back when we first met, I was just a young and inexperienced person
Nothin' but a child
I was immature and naive, compared to the person I am today
You done made me love ya baby
You made me fall deeply in love with you
Ya 'bout to drive me wild
You have a way of making me feel so passionate and excited, it's almost overwhelming
Honey, you ain't no stallion
You may not be perfect, but I still find you attractive and appealing
But you still look fine
You still have qualities that I find desirable and attractive
'Bout to drive me outta my mind
You have the power to make me feel so intensely that it's hard to control
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EWART G. JR. ABNER, JIMMY REED, CALVIN CARTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind