Junior Wells
He was one bad dude, strutting across the stage like a harp-toting gangster, mesmerizing the crowd with his tough-guy antics and rib-sticking Chicago blues attack. Amazingly, Junior Wells kept at precisely this sort of thing for over 40 years; he was an active performer from the dawn of the '50s until his death in the late '90s. Born in Memphis, Wells learned his earliest harp licks from another future legend, Little Junior Parker, before he came to Chicago at age 12. In 1950, the teenager passed an impromptu audition for guitarists Louis and David Myers at a house party on the South Side, and the Deuces were born. When drummer Fred Below came aboard, they changed their name to the Aces.
Little Walter left Muddy Waters in 1952 (in the wake of his hit instrumental "Juke"), and Wells jumped ship to take his place with Waters. That didn't stop the Aces (who joined forces with Little Walter) from backing Wells on his initial sessions for States Records, though -- his debut date produced some seminal Chicago blues efforts, including his first reading of "Hoodoo Man," a rollicking "Cut That Out," and the blazing instrumentals "Eagle Rock" and "Junior's Wail." More fireworks ensued the next year when he encored for States with a mournful "So All Alone" and the jumping "Lawdy! Lawdy!" (Muddy Waters moonlighted on guitar for the session). Wells was already exhibiting his tempestuous side -- he was allegedly AWOL from the Army at the time.
In 1957, Wells hooked up with producer Mel London, who owned the Chief and Profile logos. The association resulted in many of Wells' most enduring sides, including "I Could Cry" and the rock & rolling "Lovey Dovey Lovely One" in 1957, the grinding national R&B hit "Little by Little" (with Willie Dixon providing vocal harmony) in 1959, and the R&B-laced classic "Messin' with the Kid" in 1960 (sporting Earl Hooker's immaculate guitar work). Wells' harp was de-emphasized during this period on record in favor of his animated vocals. With Bob Koester producing, the harpist cut an all-time classic LP for Delmark in 1965. Hoodoo Man Blues vividly captured the feel of a typical Wells set at Theresa's Lounge, even though it was cut in a studio. With Buddy Guy (initially billed as "Friendly Chap" due to his contract with Chess) providing concise lead guitar, Wells laid down definitive versions of "Snatch It Back and Hold It," "You Don't Love Me," and "Chitlin' con Carne."
The harpist made his second appearance on the national R&B lists in 1968 with a funky James Brown-tinged piece, "You're Tuff Enough," for Mercury's feisty Blue Rock logo. Wells had been working in this bag for some time, alarming the purists but delighting R&B fans; his brass-powered 1966 single for Bright Star, "Up in Heah," had previously made a lot of local noise. After a fine mid-'70s set for Delmark (On Tap), little was heard from Wells on vinyl for an extended spell, though he continued to enjoy massive appeal at home (Theresa's was his principal haunt for many a moon) and abroad (whether on his own or in partnership with Guy; they opened for the Rolling Stones on one memorable tour and cut an inconsistent but interesting album for Atco in the early '70s).
Toward the end of his career, Wells just didn't seem to be into recording anymore; a pair of sets for Telarc in the early '90s were major disappointments, but his last studio session, 1997's Come on in This House, found him on the rebound and the critics noticed: the album won the W.C. Handy Blues Award for Traditional Blues Album in 1997. Even when he came up short in the studio, Wells remained a potent live attraction, cutting a familiar swaggering figure, commanding the attention of everyone in the room with one menacing yelp or a punctuating blast from his amplified harmonica. He continued performing until he was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in the summer of 1997. That fall, he suffered a heart attack while undergoing treatment, sending him into a coma. Wells stayed in the coma until he passed away on January 15, 1998. A handful of compilations were released shortly after his death, as was the film Blues Brothers 2000, which featured a cameo by Wells.
© Bill Dahl /TiVo
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Baby Please Don't Go (2023 Mix)
Blues - Released by Cleopatra Records on 2 Jan 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Could Cry / Cha Cha Cha in Blue
Blues - Released by Profile Records on 4 Nov 1959
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Messin' With The Kid
Blues - Released by Cleopatra Records on 14 Apr 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Checkin' On My Baby (Live at the American Folk Blues Festival, 1966)
Blues - Released by Cleopatra Records on 9 Jul 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Messin' with the Kid
Blues - Released by Cleopatra Blues on 21 Oct 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Stop Breakin' Down (Live)
Blues - Released by Cleopatra Blues on 12 Sep 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Galloping Horses a Lazy Mule / Blues in D Natural
Blues - Released by Chief Records on 28 Oct 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Junior's Shuffle (Live)
Blues - Released by Music Company OMP on 10 May 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Feel So Good (Live Chicago '85)
Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells
Blues - Released by Blue Shrimp Recordings on 13 Jan 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (2023 Mix)
Blues - Released by Cleopatra Records on 25 Oct 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live At Cotati Cabaret 1984 (Live At Cotati Cabaret 1984)
Blues - Released by Cleopatra Blues on 5 Jan 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live At The Newport Folk Festival 1968 (Live At The Newport Folk Festival 1968)
Blues - Released by Cleopatra Blues on 22 Dec 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Jingle Bell Rock (2023 Mix)
Christmas Music - Released by Cleopatra Records on 3 Nov 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cut You A-Loose / Cha Cha Cha in Blue
Soul - Released by Age Records on 3 Jan 1963
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
She's a Sweet One / When the Cat's Gone the Mice Play
Blues - Released by Usa Records on 8 Aug 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Eagle Rock: Junior Wells & The Singles, Vol. 1
Blues - Released by Supreme Media on 10 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo