Soul singer Jean Knight, who scored a global hit in 1971 with the ultra-funky “Mr Big Stuff”—and its incredibly catchy hook, “Who do you think you are?”—has died at 80.
Born Jean Caliste in New Orleans in 1943, Knight cut her musical teeth after leaving high school and recorded her first demo, a cover of Jackie Wilson’s “Stop Doggin’ Me Around,” at the age of 22, in 1965.
But even though that helped get her first record deal, chart success proved elusive and Knight soon found herself working as a baker to make ends meet before a collaboration with songwriter Ralph Williams changed the trajectory of her career.
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Knight recorded “Mr. Big Stuff” in 1970 at the Malaco Studios in Jackson, Mississippi, but it was not released until early 1971 by Stax Records. The song ended up spending five weeks at the top of the Billboard R&B chart and peaked at No. 2 on the mainstream chart, selling 2 million copies and earning Knight a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 1972 Grammy Awards, where she was beaten by Aretha Franklin.
Other hits followed—including “(Don’t Mess With) My Toot Toot” and “You Got the Papers but I Got the Man”—but none made an impact like “Mr. Big Stuff” did. In a 2002 interview, Knight told how the song’s royalties still kept her going: “‘Mr. Big Stuff’ is better to me now than 31 years ago. All I have to do is sit at home and wait for the mailman.”
Knight died of natural causes last Wednesday, her longtime friend Bernie Cyrus said.
In a tribute, her family said: “Jean Knight’s legacy is not just a musical one, it is a testament to the enduring love between and artist, her hometown, and the fans who adored her.”
