Junior Wells | |
|---|---|
 Wells, Chicago Illinois, c. 1984 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Amos Wells Blakemore Jr. (1934-12-09)December 9, 1934 West Memphis, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 1998(1998-01-15) (aged 63) Chicago, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, harmonica |
| Years active | 1950s–1997 |
| Labels | |
Junior Wells (bornAmos Wells Blakemore Jr.; December 9, 1934 – January 15, 1998) was an American singer, harmonica player, and recording artist. He is best known for his signature song "Messin' with the Kid" and his 1965 albumHoodoo Man Blues, described by the critic Bill Dahl as "one of the truly classic blues albums of the 1960s".[3] Wells himself categorized his music asrhythm and blues.[2]
Wells performed and recorded with various notable blues musicians, includingMuddy Waters,Earl Hooker, andBuddy Guy.[3] He remained a fixture on the blues scene throughout his career and also crossed over torock audiences while touring withthe Rolling Stones.[4] Not long before Wells died, the blues historian Gerard Herzhaft called him "one of the rare active survivors of the 'golden age of the blues'".[4]
Wells may have been born inMemphis, Tennessee, and raised inWest Memphis, Arkansas (some sources report that he was born in West Memphis).[5][6]
Initially taught by his cousinJunior Parker and bySonny Boy Williamson II, Wells learned to play the harmonica skillfully by the age of seven. Wells told the following story, printed on the cover of his albumHoodoo Man Blues:
I went to this pawnshop downtown and the man had a harmonica priced at $2.00. I got a job on a soda truck... played hookey from school ... worked all week and on Saturday the man gave me a dollar and a half. A dollar and a half! For a whole week of work. I went to the pawnshop and the man said the price was two dollars. I told him Ihad to have that harp. He walked away from the counter – left the harp there. So I laid my dollar-and-a-half on the counter and picked up the harp. When my trial came up, the judge asked me why I did it. I told him Ihad to have that harp. The judge asked me to play it and when I did he gave the man the 50 cents and hollered 'Case dismissed!'
He moved to Chicago in 1948 with his mother, after her divorce, and began sitting in with local musicians at house parties and taverns.[7] Wild and rebellious but needing an outlet for his talents, he began performing with theAces, consisting of the brothers Dave and Louis Myers on guitars and the drummerFred Below, with whom he developed a modern amplified harmonica style influenced byLittle Walter.[7] In 1952, he made his first recordings when he replaced Little Walter in Muddy Waters's band and played on one of Waters's sessions forChess Records in 1952.[7] His first recordings as a bandleader were made in the following year forStates Records.[8] In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he recorded singles forChief Records and its subsidiary, Profile Records, including "Messin' with the Kid", "Come on in This House", and "It Hurts Me Too", which would remain in his repertoire throughout his career. His 1960 Profile single "Little by Little" (written by Chief owner and producerMel London) reached number 23 on theBillboard R&B chart, the first of his two singles to enter the chart.[9]
Wells's albumHoodoo Man Blues, released in 1965 byDelmark Records, featured Buddy Guy on guitar.[7][10] The two worked with the Rolling Stones on several occasions in the 1970s.[10] Wells's albumSouth Side Blues Jam was released in 1971, followed byOn Tap in 1975.[10]
His 1996 releaseCome On in This House includes performances by the slide guitaristsAlvin Youngblood Hart andDerek Trucks, among others.[10] Wells appeared in the filmBlues Brothers 2000, released in 1998.[7]
Wells began to have severe health problems, including cancer and a heart attack, in 1997.[7] He died in Chicago on January 15, 1998, and was interred in theOak Woods Cemetery, Chicago.
† indicates albums with Buddy Guy.
Wells calls it simply "rhythm and blues. Blues is blues no matter where it's at-it's not Chicago blues or Memphis blues."
