Jimmy Reeves Jr.

Jimmy Reeves Jr. - Born To Love Me - 1970 - Checker

It's not easy to find info about Jimmy Reeves Jr. The following article sheds some light on the album - "One other session [from Walter Horton] that merits attention from this period is a Chess LP done under the name of guitarist Jimmy Reeves Jr., who as his name alludes, was a young Jimmy Reed lookalike and soundalike, complete with a photograph of rack mounted harmonica around his neck. The session was a straight Willie Dixon affair that featured a few Reed titles and a lot of Willie's songbook. Fortunately, M.T. Murphy was the lead guitarist and Shakey [Walter Horton] performed some outstanding sympathetic backing in tandem with pianist Lafayette Leake or Sunnyland Slim. Reeves Jr., the star of the session, was relegated to vocals. This session appeared only briefly on vinyl, then disappeared presumably due to poor sales, and a lingering aftertaste of bad Jimmy Reed clones that had exhausted their market attraction. This type of session is a good example of how a mediocre artist (Reeves Jr.) can be rescued from oblivion by a good backing group, a task that Walter Horton handled measurably, several times during his career". - from http://www.ilpopolodelblues.com/bman/horton.html

"Born To Love Me" is a good electric blues album credited to an obscure blues vocalist called Jimmy Reeves Jr. However, the main musicians on this album were Matt Murphy and the late Mighty Joe Young on guitars, the late Willie Dixon, and Sylvester Bowen on bass, the late Lafayette Leake and the late Sunnyland Slim on piano, Morris Jennings on drums, and the late Walter "Shakey"Horton on harmonica. Jimmy Reeves' vocals could be stronger, but the backing musicians are legendary. There are 4 Willie Dixon covers, and 6 Jimmy Reed covers, making the album a worthwhile listen. There is some info on Jimmy Reeves Jr. on the album sleeve notes

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Love That Woman - Lafayette Leake
2 Hoo Doo Blues - Willie Dixon
3 Put It All There - Willie Dixon
4 Born To Love Me - Willie Dixon
5 I Love You Baby - Jimmy Reed
6 Bright Lights, Big City - Jimmy Reed
7 Baby, What's On Your Mind - Jimmy Reed
8 Don't Let That Music Die - Willie Dixon
9 Shame, Shame, Shame - Jimmy Reed
10 Honest I Do - Jimmy Reed
11 Baby, Whatcha Want Me to Do - Jimmy Reed

MUSICIANS

Jimmy Reeves (Vocal)
Matt Murphy - (Lead Guitar)
Mighty Joe Young (Second Guitar)
Willie Dixon, Sylvester Bowen (Bass)
Lafayette Leake, Sunnyland Slim (Piano)
Morris Jennings (Drums)
Walter "Shakey"Horton (Harmonica)
The Pick-Ups - Backing Vocals