"Mr. Big Stuff" singer Jean Knight dies at age 80

(November 27, 2023) Today we say a sad goodbye to Jean Knight, the powerful singer best known for the 1971 smash hit, “Mr. Big Stuff.” She was age 80.

The New Orleans born Knight was working two jobs in New Orleans and singing in clubs when she co-wrote and recorded “Mr. Big Stuff” in 1971. Its sassy lyrics (“Mr. Big Stuff, who do you think you are?”) and southern soul vibe were accentuated by Knight’s fun, and attitude-filled singing. The song was picked up by Memphis-based Stax Records and shot straight to the top of the pop and soul charts. It also earned Knight a Grammy Award nomination and prime spots on television shows around the U.S.

“Mr. Big Stuff” was certainly Knight’s signature song, but it wasn’t her only hit. Nearly a decade later she signed with the Soulin’ label and recorded a fun “She’s Got The Papers, But I’ve Got The Man,” a  response song to Richard Dimples Fields’ #1 hit “She’s Got Papers On Me.” It was another half decade before she hit again with the novelty hit “My Toot Toot.”

Knight toured regularly for decades after her last hit, often in multi-act soul and funk concerts. Her last major recording was in 2007, when she issued “Do Me” from the Superbad soundtrack.

Jean Knight was a singer whose voice and approach lifted every song she touched, and we will be strutting our way to her biggest hits for years to come.