Big Boss Man (song)
"Big Boss Man" is a blues song first recorded by Jimmy Reed in 1960. Unlike his most popular songs, the songwriting is credited to Luther Dixon and Al Smith. It was a hit for Reed and has been identified as an influential song. Elvis Presley and B.B. King also recorded hit versions of the tune.
| "Big Boss Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Jimmy Reed | ||||
| from the album Found Love | ||||
| B-side | "I'm a Love You" | |||
| Released | April 1961 | |||
| Recorded | Chicago, March 29, 1960 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Length | 2:46 | |||
| Label | Vee-Jay | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Luther Dixon, Al Smith | |||
| Jimmy Reed singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Original song
"Big Boss Man" is an uptempo twelve-bar blues shuffle that features "one of the most influential Reed grooves of all time".[1] It is credited to Jimmy Reed's manager, Al Smith, and Vee-Jay Records staff writer Luther Dixon.[1] The song is one of the few Reed hits that was written by someone other than Reed and his wife.[2] Reed recorded the song in Chicago on March 29, 1960; backing Reed, who sang and played harmonica and guitar, are Mamma Reed on vocal, Lee Baker and Lefty Bates on guitars, Willie Dixon on bass, and Earl Phillips on drums.[1]
"Big Boss Man" was originally released on Jimmy Reed's 1960 album Found Love. In 1961, Vee-Jay Records released it as a single, which reached number 13 on Billboard's R&B Hot Sides chart and number 78 on its Hot 100 chart.[3]
Legacy
In 1990, the song was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.[2] In its induction statement, blues historian Jim O'Neal noted that the song's appeal went beyond blues musicians and:
If there ever was a blues theme for the proletariat, it was Jimmy Reed’s 1961 smash, "Big Boss Man". "You got me workin', boss man, workin' 'round the clock, I want me a drink of water but you won’t let Jimmy stop," Reed sang, but the refrain asserted "You ain’t so big, you’re just tall, that’s all."[2]
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included it in its 1995 list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll".[4]
Renditions
- On September 10, 1967, Elvis Presley recorded a version of "Big Boss Man". It was issued as a single and reached number 38 on the singles chart.[5] He performed the song as part of a medley during the Elvis 1968 Comeback Special.[6]
- B.B. King recorded the song for his 1985 album Six Silver Strings. Released on a single by MCA Records, his rendition reached number 62 on Billboard's Hot Black singles chart.[3]
- Hope Sandoval recorded the song for Mercury Rev's 2019 album Bobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete Revisited.[7] An album review noted: "Hope Sandoval takes 'Big Boss Man' in just the way you’d want and expect Hope Sandoval to take 'Big Boss Man' – like it’s an old Velvet Underground ballad she’s just heard."[7]
References
- Koda, Cub (2000). The Very Best of Jimmy Reed (CD notes). Jimmy Reed. Los Angeles: Rhino Records. p. 14. R2 79802.
- O'Neal, Jim (November 10, 2016). "1990 Hall of Fame Inductees: Big Boss Man — Jimmy Reed (Vee-Jay, 1960)". The Blues Foundation. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- Whitburn, Joel (1988). "Artist entries". Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. pp. 346, 240. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
- "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 1995. Archived from the original on May 2, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
- "Elvis Presley: Chart History – Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- Bush, John. "Elvis Presley: The '68 Comeback Special – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
- Hann, Michael (February 8, 2019). "Mercury Rev: Bobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete Revisited Review – Fun but Overdone". Theguardian.com. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
