Everyday Creation
Everyday Creation is about living our purpose, lifting our vibes, and expressing our creativity for the highest good. The show's title refers to three types of creation: The ways we express ourselves (for example, with art, music and so many other pursuits fueled by purpose and passion); the parts of life that fill us with awe — birth, death, love, the big picture; and our innate personal power to create our best possible lives while also making the world a better place. You’ll hear conversations with terrific guests on matters we care about, as well as spiritual perspectives, personal essays on being our best selves, and episodes simply for information and fun. I'm your host Kate Jones, welcoming you to Everyday Creation.
Everyday Creation
Tribute to Jean Knight, featuring Sheldon Zoldan
New Orleans singer Jean Knight is best known for “Mr. Big Stuff,” which she sang with sass and attitude. It reached number one on Billboard’s R&B chart and number two on the Hot 100 chart in 1971.
This is one of 44 tributes to significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.
Knight eventually went on to get a nursing degree, but she continued to reap the benefits of "Mr. Big Stuff." To watch her perform later on in life, you can go here. And please read some of the sweet comments, like this one: "Classy lady, will be sadly missed. This live version nailed it."
In the chapters, there's a press photo of Knight performing in 1971. It was distributed by Stax Records and is available on Wikimedia Commons. There are images of two of her album covers as well.
Also in the chapters, you can go right to the tribute by skipping my intro; feel free to skip my closing remarks too. Both are there to provide context for those who haven't listened to the other tributes.
Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime writer and editor, wrote and recorded Knight's story and the other tributes in the series. He also writes a Song of the Day story that he sends by email to a list of subscribers. To get on his subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
Audio engineer/musician Mike Villegas edited all the audio for this series. Hope you enjoy these intriguing glimpses into the lives of the people who made some of the music we love.
This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation, available on YouTube and in podcast directories including Apple, Spotify and Audible.
Kate:
00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:03.120
Hello, and welcome to Everyday Creation. This is
00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:06.500
your host, Kate Jones, with one of 44
00:00:07.255 --> 00:00:07.755
tributes
00:00:08.135 --> 00:00:10.475
to significant figures in the music industry
00:00:10.855 --> 00:00:12.955
who passed away in 2023.
00:00:14.215 --> 00:00:15.915
My guest Sheldon Zoldan,
00:00:16.340 --> 00:00:18.600
a longtime writer and newspaper editor,
00:00:19.060 --> 00:00:20.520
wrote these short biographies
00:00:20.900 --> 00:00:22.040
and recorded them.
00:00:22.740 --> 00:00:24.840
Each one is an intriguing
00:00:25.485 --> 00:00:28.685
glimpse into the life and impact of someone
00:00:28.685 --> 00:00:29.665
who contributed
00:00:30.045 --> 00:00:32.845
to the soundtracks of our lives. Here's what
00:00:32.845 --> 00:00:34.705
Sheldon has to say in this tribute.
Sheldon:
00:00:35.950 --> 00:00:38.590
Who needs Social Security when you have Mr.
00:00:38.590 --> 00:00:39.410
Big Stuff?
00:00:39.950 --> 00:00:42.130
Jean Knight often told audiences
00:00:42.645 --> 00:00:45.225
how her best-known song gave her financial
00:00:45.365 --> 00:00:45.865
security.
00:00:46.565 --> 00:00:48.325
"All I have to do is sit home
00:00:48.325 --> 00:00:50.585
and wait for the mailman," she said.
00:00:51.380 --> 00:00:54.760
Knight died November 22nd in Tampa, Florida.
00:00:55.220 --> 00:00:56.200
She was 80.
00:00:56.820 --> 00:00:57.880
Knight was born
00:00:58.500 --> 00:00:59.480
Jean Caliste
00:01:00.275 --> 00:01:01.095
in New Orleans.
00:01:01.475 --> 00:01:04.135
She said Knight was easier to pronounce.
00:01:04.755 --> 00:01:07.955
She started singing in her cousin's bar after
00:01:07.955 --> 00:01:09.335
graduating high school
00:01:09.780 --> 00:01:12.100
and spent most of her career as a
00:01:12.100 --> 00:01:13.400
New Orleans artist
00:01:13.780 --> 00:01:15.880
who toured mostly in the South.
00:01:16.260 --> 00:01:17.960
Her short time in the spotlight
00:01:18.855 --> 00:01:20.935
came thanks to our Song of the Day,
00:01:20.935 --> 00:01:22.235
"Mr. Big Stuff."
00:01:22.775 --> 00:01:23.915
Joseph Broussard,
00:01:24.295 --> 00:01:27.595
Ralph Williams and Carol Washington wrote it.
00:01:28.150 --> 00:01:30.010
Knight recorded it in 1970
00:01:30.630 --> 00:01:33.130
and it was released the following year.
00:01:33.830 --> 00:01:36.570
She sang the song with sass and attitude,
00:01:37.905 --> 00:01:39.045
which was fitting
00:01:39.345 --> 00:01:42.325
because the lyrics warn Mr. Big Stuff
00:01:42.625 --> 00:01:45.205
that just because he wears nice clothes
00:01:45.790 --> 00:01:48.350
and has a fine car, he's never gonna
00:01:48.350 --> 00:01:50.670
break her heart. She'd rather be with a
00:01:50.670 --> 00:01:52.210
poor man than him.
00:01:52.935 --> 00:01:54.955
The song almost never got released.
00:01:55.815 --> 00:01:59.255
Stax Records buried it with other songs that
00:01:59.255 --> 00:02:02.235
Knight's producer sent to the Memphis Record Company.
00:02:03.490 --> 00:02:05.810
But when the producer released one of the
00:02:05.810 --> 00:02:06.310
songs
00:02:06.770 --> 00:02:09.330
on his own and it became
00:02:09.330 --> 00:02:10.23,
an R&B hit
00:02:10.605 --> 00:02:13.105
Stax dug out "Mr. Big Stuff."
00:02:14.205 --> 00:02:17.405
The song immediately became big stuff. It reached
00:02:17.405 --> 00:02:20.350
number 1 on Billboard's Soul Singles chart
00:02:20.830 --> 00:02:23.150
and number 2 on the Hot 100
00:02:23.150 --> 00:02:23.650
chart.
00:02:24.190 --> 00:02:24.690
Knight,
00:02:25.070 --> 00:02:26.910
who went on to get a degree in
00:02:26.910 --> 00:02:27.410
nursing,
00:02:27.790 --> 00:02:29.490
would never have another hit.
00:02:30.395 --> 00:02:33.195
She scored one other song on Billboard's Hot
00:02:33.195 --> 00:02:33.695
100,
00:02:34.235 --> 00:02:35.135
"My Toot Toot,"
00:02:35.755 --> 00:02:38.495
which reached number 50 in 1985.
Kate:
00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:42.160
This is Kate again. Please go to the
00:02:42.160 --> 00:02:44.640
description for more information and to hear the
00:02:44.640 --> 00:02:46.020
song that Sheldon referenced.
00:02:46.455 --> 00:02:48.775
If you enjoyed this tribute, please check out
00:02:48.775 --> 00:02:50.695
the rest of them. Although some of the
00:02:50.695 --> 00:02:53.255
names are not as familiar as others, the
00:02:53.255 --> 00:02:53.755
biographies
00:02:54.375 --> 00:02:55.915
are equally intriguing.
00:02:56.840 --> 00:02:59.420
Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation.
00:02:59.960 --> 00:03:02.280
Please share this episode with anyone who might
00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:02.769
enjoy it.