Reed signed with Chicago's Veejay label in 1953, and he and Taylor backed
John Lee Hooker
on some of his singles. Reed's early recordings, although highly regarded by collectors, were not successful and Veejay considered dropping him until his 1955 hit, “You Don't Have to Go,
” climbed to No. 9 on the rhythm and blues (R&B) charts. Between 1955 and 1961, Reed had 13 R&B hits, including 12 that crossed over to the pop...