Jimmy Reed

(b. Mathis James Reed, 6 September 1925, Leland, Mississippi; d. 29 August 1976, Oakland, CA)

To counter the positive elements in his life, Reed was continually undermined by his own unreliability, illness (he was an epileptic) and a fascination for the bottle. He visited Europe in the early ’60s by which time it was obvious that not all was well with him. He was supremely unreliable and prone to appear on stage drunk.  Inactive much of the time due to illness, Reed seemed on the road to recovery and further success, having controlled his drink problem. Ironically he died soon after of respiratory failure. He was buried in Chicago.