Jean Knight photographed in 1971. Gems/Redferns
Jean Knight, the R&B vocalist best understood for her 1971 hit “Mr. Big Stuff” passed away at 80 on Wednesday (Nov. 22). “New Orleans and the music world mourns the loss of one its most treasure musical daughters, Jean Knight,” her household stated in a declaration shown USA Today.
Rolling Stone additionally verified the vocalist’s passing with long time pal Bernie Cyrus — that was the executive supervisor of the Louisiana Music Commission for years — that stated, “She was always willing to get involved with good causes and help out.”
Cyrus stated the lively soul-stirring tune was “just so universal. People remember it. And look, so many people covered it. But nobody did it like Jean.”
Surrounded by songs in her home town of New Orleans, Knight — that was birthed Jean Caliste on Jan. 26, 1943 — started singing around community after finishing from senior high school and taped her initial solitary, a cover of Jackie Wilson’s “Stop Doggin’ Me Around” in 1965, which obtained her a recording agreement with the Jet Star/Tribe document tag.
Her reach popularity started when she fulfilled manufacturer Wardell Quezerque; he took her to Jackson, Miss., where she taped “Mr. Big Stuff,” which became her initial solitary and the title track from her launching workshop cd on Stax Records. The tune made a Grammy election for ideal women R&B singing efficiency, and in July 1971, it arrived of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs graph, where it continued to be for 5 weeks; the tune came to a head at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 the adhering to month. The cd itself got to a high of No. 60 on the Billboard 200 in September 1971.
“Jean Knight’s legacy is not just a musical one; it is a testament to the enduring love between an artist, her hometown, and the fans who adored her,” the household’s declaration to United States Today kept in mind. “As we bid farewell to this iconic soulstress, New Orleans and her global fan base join together in gratitude for the indelible mark she left on the world.”
