The Philosophy of Modern Song: Big Boss Man

Posted on May 29, 2026 by Tony Attwood

 

 

A list of all the songs that we have so far considered and presented recordings of, is given after the article.

By Tony Attwood

“Big Boss Man” is one of those songs that can be dismissed as “another 12 bar blues”, and yes, this is one of those recordings that itself can so easily be played and then set aside, leaving one thinking “so what?”    But there is a point to this song and this recording, which I think demands attention, and I shall try and explain…

Now I’ll come back to that in a moment.  But first…

For myself, being only a few years younger than Bob, and having had a major interest in rock music and its tributaries from a very early age, I find it interesting just how many songs Bob has selected within his book, “The Philosophy of Modern Song,” which I have never come across before.  And yet this one is different, for I know the song well, but still, in pondering why Bob selected it, I have still been able to find something that I never knew was there before.   Maybe my earlier copy was a scratchy 78rpm.  I suspect it was.

So yes, there is a lot more to “Big Boss Man” than I originally thought.    Although maybe I should have got the hint that this was the case from the song title, which was also the name of an album by Jimmy Reed.  Although just to make life confusing the song which gave its title to the album was not included on the album which bore its name – which is a trifle curious.   Maybe they just ran out of space.

Anyway, the song became famous and even Elvis had a go….

And I put that recording first, because it is quite a shock, if one has forgotten what the original sounded like, to play the original straight after the Elvis version.

For me, this Jimmy Reed recording really does embody the music of 1960 when Jimmy Reed recorded his version.   It can, of course, be dismissed as “just another 12 bar blues,” but there is something about the restrained way in which the musicians play, and the way the vocals are delivered that makes the whole thing utterly memorable.

To me, it seems to be the perfect example of an uptempo 12-bar blues; nothing is forced, nothing is overdone, and at the end of the two minutes 50 seconds, all I want to do is play it again.   This is what uptempo but restrained blues should be.   Indeed, it was only on the third play through that I realised that there is a second voice singing behind Jimmy Reed.    And for that sort of mystery to be enclosed in a 12 bar blues is quite something.   (Although it could also be explained by the fact that I am just getting old).

Previously in this series

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