I'm a Jockey
| I'm a Jockey | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1994 | |||
| Studio | Streeterville | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Length | 59:21 | |||
| Label | Verve | |||
| Producer | Jean-François Deiber | |||
| Jimmy Johnson chronology | ||||
| ||||
I'm a Jockey is an album by the American musician Jimmy Johnson, released in 1994.[1][2] It was Johnson's first album in a decade; he took a break to recover from a 1988 van crash that injured him and killed members of his band.[3] Johnson supported the album with a North American tour.[4] I'm a Jockey won a 1996 W. C. Handy Award for "Comeback Blues Album".[5] The album was reissued in 2003.[6]
Production
[edit]The songs were arranged by Gene Barge.[7] Lucky Peterson contributed on Hammond B-3; Billy Branch played harmonica.[8][9] A four-piece horn section was used on some of the tracks.[10] "My Ring" is a reflection on life with Johnson's first wife.[11] "Black & White Wall" is about race relations.[12] "End of a Rainbow" is a cover of the McKinley Mitchell song.[3] "As the Years Go Passing By" is a version of the song purportedly written by Deadric Malone.[13] "The Highway Is Like a Woman" is a cover of the Percy Mayfield song.[8] "Engine Number 9" and "In the Midnight Hour" are versions of songs most associated with Wilson Pickett.[9] "That Will Never Do" was written by Little Milton.[10]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide | [15] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings |  [16] |
The Times Colonist stated that the collection "is a stone gem... Great organ and horn-driven arrangements by Barge frame Johnson's spare, biting guitar attack and equally terse, powerfully emotive vocals."[7] The Washington Post concluded that "the problem lies in Johnson's vocals... Though he's indebted to B.B. King and Wilson Pickett—to name just two obvious influences—he's strictly a second-tier singer."[17] The Tulsa World determined that "Johnson's solo style is more laid-back than typical Chicago guitarists, sometimes to the point that you can't hear him amid the swinging, funky rhythm section; but he sends a good message without knocking you over the head with his guitar."[18]
Guitar Player praised the "hopping horn arrangements and ... late-night-for-lovers feel."[19] The Ottawa Citizen said that "with his fluid, jazzy playing, a high-pitched, soulful tenor and smartly crafted songs, Johnson has become one of Chicago's most vital and distinctive blues artists, always putting the unity of the band's groove ahead of individual glory."[20] The Toronto Star praised Johnson's "gospel-inflected vocals and busy guitar style".[21]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "That Will Never Do" | 5:44 |
| 2. | "Jockey" | 5:40 |
| 3. | "Engine Number 9" | 4:13 |
| 4. | "My Ring" | 4:19 |
| 5. | "Highway 13" | 5:47 |
| 6. | "As the Years Go Passing By" | 9:04 |
| 7. | "Black & White Wall" | 3:57 |
| 8. | "The Highway Is Like a Woman" | 6:37 |
| 9. | "In the Midnight Hour" | 3:22 |
| 10. | "End of Rainbow" | 4:26 |
| 11. | "Look Over Yonder's Wall" | 6:12 |
| Total length: | 59:21 | |
References
[edit]- ^ Vega, Lazaro (July 3, 1994). "Jazz and blues pair up on two stages for two days". The Grand Rapids Press. p. G1.
- ^ Chapman, Geoff (January 14, 1995). "Jimmy Johnson has been credited with helping...". Toronto Star. p. L10.
- ^ a b Dahl, Bill (February 10, 1995). "Jimmy Johnson Is Back—with a Vengeance". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. P.
- ^ Levesque, Roger (June 30, 1994). "Guitarist Johnson melds Mississippi influences". Edmonton Journal. p. D12.
- ^ Beifuss, John (May 3, 1996). "Luther Allison scores big with sweep of Handy Blues Awards". The Commercial Appeal. p. A1.
- ^ Ouellette, Dan (December 13, 2003). "Jazz Notes". Billboard. Vol. 115, no. 50. p. 29.
- ^ a b Blake, Joseph (August 11, 1994). "Sound Advice". Look. Times Colonist. p. 6.
- ^ a b DeLuca, Dan (October 16, 1998). "Jimmy Johnson". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 15.
- ^ a b Kanzler, George (March 17, 1995). "I'm a Jockey, Jimmy Johnson". The Star-Ledger.
- ^ a b Richards, Dave (August 3, 1995). "Forget Categories". Erie Times-News.
- ^ Rosen, Steven (April 4, 1995). "Johnson solves blues-rock riddle: Sounds of Chicago fill Bluebird". The Denver Post. p. E3.
- ^ Kening, Dan (January 5, 1996). "Jimmy Johnson". Time Out. Daily Herald. Arlington Heights. p. 10.
- ^ "Jimmy Johnson". Weekend Plus. Chicago Sun-Times. June 6, 1997. p. 48.
- ^ "I'm a Jockey Review by Bill Dahl". AllMusic. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 194.
- ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 318.
- ^ Joyce, Mike (January 29, 1995). "Jimmy Johnson: 'I'm a Jockey'". The Washington Post. p. G10.
- ^ Conner, Thomas (September 25, 1998). "Jimmy Johnson's I'm a Jockey on Verve Records". Spot. Tulsa World. p. 14.
- ^ Obrecht, Jas (April 1995). "Blues like falling rain". Guitar Player. Vol. 29, no. 4. p. 127.
- ^ Saxberg, Lynn (September 15, 1996). "Jimmy Johnson's back". Ottawa Citizen. p. C3.
- ^ Stoute, Lenny (September 4, 1997). "In Passing". Toronto Star. p. G8.