''Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall'' is a double album by

Jimmy Reed Mathis James Reed (September 6, 1925 – August 29, 1976) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His particular style of electric blues was popular with a wide variety of audiences. Reed's songs such as "Honest I Do" (1957), "Baby Wha ...

, released in 1961. Though the title suggests that the record was recorded live, it consists of studio recreations of a

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

performance along with additional studio recordings. " Bright Lights, Big City", which opens the album, was released as a single around the same time. It became one of Reed's most successful and last songs on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B charts. The album includes several other Reed songs that appeared on the charts between 1956 and 1961.

Critical reception

Writing for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, critic

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' The Daily P ...

gave the album five out of five stars. He noted "In some ways, it almost does make for a greatest-hits compilation, as it contains most of Reed's most popular tunes".

Track listing

All songs by Jimmy Reed; except where noted. Record 1, side 1: #" Bright Lights, Big City" – 2:50 #"I'm Mr. Luck" – 3:34 #"Baby What's Wrong" – 3:24 #"Found Joy" – 3:41 #"Kind of Lonesome" – 2:52 Record 1, side 2: #"Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth" – 2:33 #"Tell Me You Love Me" (Jimmy Reed, Al Smith) – 2:54 #"Blue Carnegie" – 2:53 #"I'm a Love You" – 2:07 #"Hold Me Close" – 2:38 #"Blue Blue Water" – 2:45 Record 2, side 1: #"

Baby What You Want Me to Do "Baby What You Want Me to Do" (sometimes called "You Got Me Running" or "You Got Me Runnin'") is a blues song that was written and recorded by Jimmy Reed in 1959. It was a record chart hit for Reed and, as with several of his songs, it has appeal ...

" – 2:31 #"You Don't Have to Go" – 3:10 #"Hush Hush" – 2:43 #"Found Love" – 2:24 #"Honest I Do" (Jimmy Reed, Ewart Abner) – 2:50 #"You Got Me Dizzy" – 2:58 Record 2, side 2: #"

Big Boss Man Ray Washington Traylor Jr. (May 2, 1963 – September 22, 2004) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his appearances with the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name (The) Big Boss Man, a ...

" (

Luther Dixon Luther Dixon (August 7, 1931 – October 22, 2009) was an American songwriter, record producer, and singer. Dixon's songs achieved their greatest success in the 1950s and 1960s, and were recorded by Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Jackson 5, B.B ...

, Al Smith) – 2:54 #"Take Out Some Insurance" ( Jesse Stone) – 2:31 #"Boogie in the Dark" – 2:41 #"Going to New York" – 2:26 #"Ain't That Loving You Baby" – 2:25 #"The Sun is Shining" (Jimmy Reed, Ewart Abner) – 2:57

Personnel

*Jimmy Reed - guitar, vocals, harmonica * Eddie Taylor - guitar *

Phil Upchurch Phillip Upchurch (born July 19, 1941) is an American soul music, R&B, jazz and blues guitarist and bassist. Career Upchurch started his career working with the Kool Gents, the Dells, and the Spaniels, before going on to work with Curtis Mayfiel ...

- guitar *

Lonnie Brooks Lonnie Brooks (born Lee Baker Jr., December 18, 1933 – April 1, 2017) was an American blues singer and guitarist. The musicologist Robert Palmer, writing in ''Rolling Stone'', stated, "His music is witty, soulful and ferociously energetic, br ...

- guitar * William "Lefty" Bates - second guitar *

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

- bass guitar *Earl Phillips - drums *Mary Lee Reed - backing vocals

References

{{Authority control Jimmy Reed albums Vee-Jay Records albums 1961 albums Albums produced by Calvin Carter