American soul singer Jean Knight has died in Tampa, Florida, at the age of 80. Her death occurred on November 22 and was announced by her publicist, who did not specify her cause.
The New Orleans native began singing as a teenager at a bar owned by her cousin. In her early twenties, she recorded her first albums for the Tribe and Jetstream record labels, but her success did not come until 1971 with the song “Mr. Big Stuff”, released by Stax Records. The song sold millions of copies and even earned Knight a Grammy nomination.
An anthem to female empowerment, the raunchy song found the singer telling a rich womanizer – with his “fancy clothes” and “big, nice car” – that she will never love him.
What should have been the first step towards a successful career turned out to be a downfall. Disagreements with her producer and record label ended the singer’s involvement with Stax shortly after the release of her first album and she only had new successes in the 1980s, with the release of “You Got The Papers (But I Got The Man) )” (1981) and “Don’t Mess With My Toot Toot” (1985), without however approaching the phenomenon caused by “Mr. Big Stuff”.
In total, Jean Knight released only five studio albums, two of which came out in the 1990s, with almost no repercussions.
She was a member of the Louisiana State Music Commission and was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
