[Today: Junior Wells is ready as any man can be...]
Muddy Waters sold more albums, and Little Walter had more chops, but no musician represents the heart of Chicago Blues better than Amos Wells, Jr. As a teenager, Wells was busted for stealing a harmonica from a pawn shop, but was set free after the judge heard him play the instrument. The story may be apocryphal, but it sums up the power of Junior Wells on the harmonica. He was a force of nature upon his instrument, and wouldn’t be denied by man or law.
Hoodoo Man Blues, his 1965 debut, comes off as the work of a blues veteran. Buddy Guy’s guitar rumbles and purrs throughout, and Wells and Guy display an uncanny knack for anticipating and complementing each other. But Wells is the real show, and he never disappoints. From the smoldering ‘In The Wee Wee Hours’ to the chugging ‘Hoodoo Man Blues’ to the strutting ‘We’re Ready’, Wells commands his harp while the band plays loose and hard. The sound is pure South Side Chicago – tough as nails but not without a joke and a smile.
In addition to being a great listen, Hoodoo Man Blues was highly influential. Delmark Records founder – and Jazz Record Mart proprietor – Bob Koester claims that it’s “one of the first albums of modern Chicago Blues that wasn’t just a string of ‘greatest hits’ but… a document of what one particular tavern band sounded like.” By helping move the sound of Chicago Blues out of the studios and into the streets and juke joints, Junior Wells had a prime hand in defining the course of an entire genre.
Listen: Hoodoo Man Blues
Tags: Blues, Chicago, Delmark Records, harmonica, Junior Wells
