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 in the chapters and one of them, "Mr. Big Stuff" is in the thumbnail too.

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 [email protected] 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.

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This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.