“I Ain’t Got You” by Jimmy Reed

Record labels come and go but few had more influence in popular music than Vee-Jay. Originally formed in 1953 by the husband and wife team Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken, it was one of the first African American owned record labels and one of the most successful.

Vivian’s brother Calvin Carter and Ewart Abner, the eventual president, helped the label find its greatest success launching the careers of Jimmy Reed, Memphis Slim, The Four Seasons, John Lee Hooker, Gene Chandler, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and a little-known group from Liverpool England named after an insect.

“I Ain’t Got You” was written by Calvin Carter and recorded by both Jimmy Reed and Billy Boy Arnold in 1955. It’s a humorous take on lost love and one of my favorite songs. I adore Reed’s version. It’s raw, honest, and just tipsy enough to smile through the pain.
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Vee-Jay Records broke tradition, and like Jimmy Reed, would softly lay down music that would be copied and idolized forever.