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 interpreted and recorded by a variety of artists, including Elvis Presley and B.B. King, who had record chart successes with the song.

"Big Boss Man"
Single by Jimmy Reed
from the album Found Love
B-side"I'm a Love You"
ReleasedApril 1961 (1961-04)
RecordedChicago, March 29, 1960
GenreBlues
Length2:46
LabelVee-Jay
Songwriter(s)Luther Dixon, Al Smith
Jimmy Reed singles chronology
"Close Together"
(1961)		 "Big Boss Man"
(1961)		 "Bright Lights, Big City"
(1961)

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. The song is one of the few Reed hits that was written by someone other than Reed and his wife. 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.

"Big Boss Man" was originally released on Jimmy Reed's 1960 album Found Love. In 1961, it was released as a single and reached number 13 on Billboard's R&B Hot Sides chart and number 78 on its Hot 100 chart.[2]

Legacy

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.[3] He performed the song as part of a medley during the Elvis 1968 Comeback Special, which also appears in the award-winning mini-series Elvis. During the 1970s, Presley often performed the song in concert.

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.

In 1990, the song was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame[4] and included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll".[5]

References
  1. Koda, Cub (2000). The Very Best of Jimmy Reed (CD notes). Jimmy Reed. Los Angeles: Rhino Records. p. 14. R2 79802.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (1988). "Artist entries". Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. pp. 346, 240. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
  3. "Elvis Presley: Chart History – Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  4. 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.
  5. "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 1995. Archived from the original on 2007-05-02. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
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