Jimmy Lee Reeves

the musician

’I just want to move someone emotionally or physically’

From my earliest recollections I heard music all around me. My mom sang all of the time often answering a question with a line from a song. My dad was always whistling little songs while he did things in the garage or yard. I was even named for a singer that they loved, ’Gentleman’ Jim Reeves. Two of my uncles always brought their guitars and sang classic country songs at the house parties that we had when I was little. I would imitate the sound of guitars with my voice, singing the guitar intros to songs like ’Folsom Prison Blues’ or ’Pop a Top Again’, knowing someday I would play guitar and sing. After I started school, one of my aunts watched me along with my little brother and little sister and with her came her albums of Soul, R & B, and Rock.

In 1974 I got a transistor radio from my dad and started to explore the dial for myself. I heard a song that would forever change me and the way I would eventually play guitar and sing. the song was ’Can’t get Enough’ by Bad Company. I went down to the neighborhood department store and bought the 45 single of ’Can’t get Enough’ and almost literally played the grooves off of it! I was eventually able to meet the guitar player, Mick Ralphs, and spend an afternoon with him talking shop while working at the legendary Charley’s Guitar Shop in Dallas. I also got to meet many other great players as well.

I began playing guitar for real in 1979. I was fifteen and we had a guitar class at my high school. A couple of my friends were taking lessons, so i started to as well. The second lesson I took, I asked my instructor what a twelve bar blues progression was. He was a jazz guy so he taught me ’Stormy Monday Blues’, the ’T Bone’ Walker classic, with the pure form chords and all of the bass runs. That was just the introduction! His name was Vaughan McMillan and I took lessons from him for a few years. We became friends and I hung around his band and just learned as much as I could.

the influences and inspirations

’Man, did that give you goosebumps or what?’

Tone, Touch, Strength, Dexterity, Attitude...

Beale Street, Boubon Street, Sixth Street, Central Avenue, Deep Ellum, Chicago, Mississippi...

Texas Flood, Little Wing, Leave My Little Girl Alone...

Muddy, Howlin’ Wolf, T-Bone, Lightnin’, Bugs...

Stevie Ray, John Lee, Buddy, Jimi, Jimmie, Freddie, Albert, BB, Carlos, ZZ...

Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Pat Travers, Mick Ralphs, Steve Vai...

Funderburgh, Pollock, Duarte, Suhler, Meyers...

My influences and inspirations would probably fill this and a couple of other sites! Anything that I’ve heard in my whole life will eventually come out! When something really gives me the goosebumps, I want to know how it’s done. The players I mention above have influenced and inspired me to pursue music. most of the time I’m looking up because I don’t know if I’ll ever live up to the standard...but I’ll die trying!