‘Mr. Big Stuff’: The unlikely soul hit performed by a local baker

Posted On September 24, 2024September 24, 2024

Being a successful musician is, by no means, an easy task. Although thousands of people around the world dream of musical stardom and success, only a small minority of performers ever reach those dizzying heights, leaving many others to give up on their dreams and get ‘normal’ jobs. Such was the case for Jean Knight, who, after a number of failed attempts to become a soul music star, turned her back on performing to go work as a baker in a local New Orleans cafeteria.

Born and bred in the heart of New Orleans, Knight had been surrounded by the sweet sounds of soul music from a young age. So, during the 1960s – a period during which soul was among the biggest-selling music genres in the United States – Knight began to pursue a career as a singer. After a demo recording of Knight performing Jackie Wilson’s ‘Stop Doggin’ Me Around’ gained the attention of a local music mogul, the vocalist was signed to Tribe Records, where she recorded and released five singles between 1964 and 1967.

Although these tracks demonstrated Knight’s incredible vocal abilities and gained her some notoriety within her local community, the quality of the material failed to translate into commercial success. Facing economic destitution and seemingly having no prospects within the music industry, Knight seemingly gave up on her dream and instead found work as a local baker. While this might have provided a sad end to the promising young flame that was Jean Knight, musical talent of that level rarely stays in the shadows for long.

Soon, while still working in the cafeteria, Knight’s previous tracks were discovered by songwriter Ralph Williams, who recruited the baker to sing some tracks for him in 1970. These sessions in Mississippi produced a variety of big hits for other people, including King Floyd, who had a hit with ‘Groove Me’, from the very same session.

Despite the success of others, Knight was once again passed over by all the big soul and R&B record labels of the time. However, the success of ‘Groove Me’ provided an updated interest in those Mississippi sessions, leading one producer at Stax Records to remember and rediscover Knight’s recording, ‘Mr. Big Stuff’, one year later.

The label released ‘Mr. Big Stuff’ in 1971, and it became an immediate success. Topping the soul charts for five weeks and reaching number two on the Billboard singles chart, the song proved that Knight’s talents were both inevitable and undeniable. It might have taken a few more years than planned for Knight to reach the level of musical stardom that she dreamed of, but the wait was certainly worth it.

Part of the song’s success likely came from its pioneering lyrical content. At the time, many prominent mainstream funk and soul tracks recorded by the likes of James Brown were told exclusively from a male perspective. As a result, many featured chauvinistic attitudes, which became depressingly common in certain parts of the soul scene. In contrast, ‘Mr. Big Stuff’ is told from a female perspective, with Knight holding all the power in the dynamic of the song.

Not only was the track a hit, but it provided an important development in the soul scene. As a result, the song quickly became one of the defining funk and soul anthems of the early 1970s. Furthermore, Knight’s legendary appearance on the television programme Soul Train established both her and ‘Mr. Big Stuff’ as household names across the United States. Not bad for a New Orleans cafeteria baker.

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