| I'm a Jockey | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Jimmy Johnson | ||||
| 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. 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. Johnson supported the album with a North American tour. I'm a Jockey won a 1996 W. C. Handy Award for "Comeback Blues Album". The album was reissued in 2003.
Production
The songs were arranged by Gene Barge. Lucky Peterson contributed on Hammond B-3; Billy Branch played harmonica. A four-piece horn section was used on some of the tracks. "My Ring" is a reflection on life with Johnson's first wife. "Black & White Wall" is about race relations. "End of a Rainbow" is a cover of the McKinley Mitchell song. "As the Years Go Passing By" is a version of the song purportedly written by Deadric Malone. "The Highway Is Like a Woman" is a cover of the Percy Mayfield song. "Engine Number 9" and "In the Midnight Hour" are versions of songs most associated with Wilson Pickett. "That Will Never Do" was written by Little Milton.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide | |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings |  |
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." 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." 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."
Guitar Player praised the "hopping horn arrangements and ... late-night-for-lovers feel." 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." The Toronto Star praised Johnson's "gospel-inflected vocals and busy guitar style".
Track listing
| 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
- 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Blake, Joseph (August 11, 1994). "Sound Advice". Look. Times Colonist. p. 6.
- ^ DeLuca, Dan (October 16, 1998). "Jimmy Johnson". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 15.
- ^ Kanzler, George (March 17, 1995). "I'm a Jockey, Jimmy Johnson". The Star-Ledger.
- ^ 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.