It was Jimmy Reed's birthday this week (September 6, 1925--August 29, 1976), and it reminded me of what a major influence he was on everyone from the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, the Animals, Van Morrison to the Grateful Dead, Elvis Presley, Johnny and Edgar Winter, Jimmie Vaughan, and, yes, even Bill Cosby, all who covered at least one of his many songs at one time or another.
I believe he is the one true link between country blues and rock 'n' roll.  Basically, what he did was to electrify the blues in a very straight-forward, simple-beat way that was understandable and accessible to most everyone who heard him--then and now.
But what I recall most about Jimmy Reed, aside from the classic, mesmerizing songs like "You Don't Have to Go," "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby," "Honest I Do," "Goin' to New York," "Big Boss Man," and so many more, are the late night, early morning rocking sessions with my newborn, first son, who, due probably to a tough birth, but more likely to his nervous, inexperienced, first-time parents, had a hard time sleeping those first few months of his life.  And the only sure-fire way to put him to sleep was for me to rock him in an old thrift-shop rocking chair to the steady, insistent, heartbeat of my worn, scratchy "Best of Jimmy Reed" album.
So thank you, Jimmy Reed!  Not only for my sleep, but also for my sanity and the abiding sense of just how compelling and powerful the blues can be.