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James Travis Reeves (Galloway Texas, 20 augustus 1923 – Nashville (Tennessee), 31 juli 1964) alias Gentleman Jim was een Amerikaanse country-zanger die bekend werd om zijn warme fluwelen stem.
Jim Reeves' 1963 LP of GOOD 'N' COUNTRY (CAL/CAS 784) was reissued some years later by RCA/CAMDEN on a Dynaflex disc. The mono (CAL) version is superior soundwise to their fake stereo (CAS) one.
"There's a Heartache Following Me" is its only single. The record didn't crack Billboard's C&W chart, but was a #6 in Britain. A laudatory back cover essay by Lorne Harasen of station CJGX Yorkton, Saskatchewan, comments on Jim's likeabilty as a man, musician and personal friend.
Many in this small collection are sad songs. One exception is "Little Ole Dime," an upbeat celebration by an Okie cowpuncher. The bright tempo and arrangement of "Heartache Following Me" contrast with its message, yet somehow the song works. "World You Left Behind" has a post-Western Swing feel. Hardly a lush Nashville production, its appeal lies in a small group sound that includes steel guitar and jangly honky tonk piano.
"I've Enjoyed as Much" has a curious theme: that of a gluttonous butterball of a child whose daddy expects will grow up to be a big strong man. "Bottle, Take Effect" is a quietly introspective ballad that takes full advantage of Jim's gorgeous deep baritone voice. Besides the usual musical contingent, he's supported here by a mixed chorus. "Before I Died" uses a "highway to nowhere" metaphor in expressing the frustration of a rejected lover.
