Hello John, Jr. Wells' birthday was on the 9th. He and Buddy Guy are considered the original "Blues Brothers" and most can't argue. Buddy is still killin' it at 83 and Jr. sadly passed at 63. When they were together they left a trail of pure undeniable Blues. This is a two part piece so stay tuned... We're steady making plans for Blues Blast '22. It's taken a while to get back into the swing of things but we got it going on now. We'll have ticket info available soon so make your plans. The boogey man is still lurking and he's brought on an new helper so PLEASE get your shots and quit the politics BS. We talkin' life or death and the statistics tell us that over 90% of the peeps in the hospital with COVID and unvaxed. So there... Stay safe and hug someone, damnit!! Sincerely, Jim Crawford, Phoenix Blues Society |
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Blues To Use
Cold Shott & The Hurricane Horns The Sugar Thieves Gary Zak & The Outbacks Hans Olson Rocket 88s JC & The Rockers Carvin Jones Hoodoo Casters Rhythm Room
Westside Blues & Jazz https://westsideblues.com/ Nina Curri Paris James Mother Road Trio Blues Review Band
Big Daddy D & The Dynamites Cadillac Assembly Line https://cadillacassemblylineband.com/ Innocent Joe and the Hostile Witnesses Chuck Hall Pop Top Tommy Grills Band Sweet Baby Ray Thermal Blues Express
Common Ground Blues Band
Out & About Tuesday, December 14 Carvin Jones, 7 p.m., Gypsy’s Roadhouse, Phoenix Gypsy & Hooter’s Blues JAM, 6 p.m., Pho Cao, Scottsdale Wednesday, December 15 Gary Hoey, 8 p.m., Rhythm Room, Phoenix Carvin Jones, 7 p.m., Bone Haus, Brewing, Fountain Hills Tool Shed JAM, 7 p.m, Blooze Bar, Phoenix Johnny Miller JAM, 7 p.m., Coop’s, Glendale Thursday, December 16 Carvin Jones, 7 p.m., Deer Valley Eagles, Phoenix
Eric Ramsey, 5 p.m., Carefree Distillery, Cave Creek
Hans Olson, 6 p.m., Handlebar Pub, Apache Junction Friday, December 17 Geo Bowman, 8 p.m., Rhythm Room, Phoenix Sugar Thieves, 5:30 p.m., Desert Botanical Gardens, Phoenix Rocket 88s, 8:30 p.m., Rosic McCaffery’s, Phoenix Blues Review Band, 7 p.m., All-American, Fountain Hills Carvin Jones, 6 p.m., Tap Dragon Bar, Gilbert Saturday, December 18 Johnny Rawls, 8 p.m., Rhythm Room, Phoenix Big Pete Pearson, 7:30 p.m., Westside Blues & Jazz, Glendale Innocent Joe & The Hostile Witnesses, 7 p.m., Handlebar, Apache Junction Sugar Thieves, 5:30 p.m., Desert Botanical Gardens, Phoenix Hoodoo Casters, 6 p.m., American Legion Post 58, Fountain Hills JC & The Rockers, 8 p.m., Lucky Strikes, Apache Junction Blues Review Band, 6 p.m., Voodoo Daddy’s, Tempe Sunday, December 19 Sugar Thieves, 5:30 p.m., Desert Botanical Gardens, Phoenix Carvin Jones, 4 p.m., Raceway Bar, Maricopa Ramsey/Roberson, 11 a.m., Short Leash Hot Dogs, Phoenix Rocket 88s JAM, 4 p.m., Chopper John’s, Phoenix Monday, December 20 Sugar Thieves, 5:30 p.m., Desert Botanical Gardens, Phoenix Hans Olson, 7 p.m., Time Out Lounge (Every Monday) |
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Jr.
by John Cohassey
Beginning his career in the early 1950s as musical disciple of harmonica legend John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, Junior Wells entered the following decade as a dynamic Chicago blues performer. By the early 1960s Wells's singing and performance style fell under the heavy influence of soul singer James Brown. After decades of playing in corner taverns, he has emerged as top attraction at music festivals and nightclubs around the world. Best known for long-time association with guitarist Buddy Guy, he continues to appear both as a solo act and in collaborations with his long-time guitar associate--a duo act that has, over the span of thirty years, introduced white rock musicians and mass audiences to the sounds of Chicago blues. Born Amos Blackmore on December 9, 1934, in Memphis, Tennessee, Junior Wells was raised on a farm near Marion, Arkansas. During his youth his family took up residence in the rough ghetto of West Memphis, Arkansas, where he received his first instruction on harmonica from Herman "Little Junior" Parker. In 1946 Wells moved with mother to Chicago. Two years later, while still under age, he made his way into the C&T Lounge to watch guitarist Tampa Red and pianist Johnnie Jones perform. Allowed to sit-in with the elder musicians, he recalled how, as quoted in the lines notes to Hoodoo Man Blues, "The owner put me out front of the place with my amplifier. The cop on the beat said I better get inside the tavern and play." In Chicago Wells also met harmonica giant John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson. "By the time I had met Sonny Boy," Wells told Larry Birnbaum in Down Beat, "I already had my basic style and I thought I could play, but when I listened to him I knew I had a long way to go. He sounded so much more professional than I did, and I wanted to pick up some pointers." In 1950 he met the musical duo of Mississippi-born musicians Arthur "Big Boy" Spires and Louis Meyers at a neighborhood party. Later, Louis Meyers' brother Dave replaced Spires, and they, along with Wells, formed a trio, The Little Chicago Devils. Eventually, the group took the name the Three Deuces, and then the Three Aces; with the addition of former jazz drummer Fred Below the unit then became known as the Four Aces. In 1952 Muddy Waters' harmonica player, Little Walter Jacobs left the Waters band to embark on a solo career. Wells, who had already befriended Waters and sat-in with his band on several occasions, took Little Walter's place as Waters' harmonica sideman. Accompanied by his former back-up band, the Aces, Wells made his recording debut on Leonard Allen's States label in 1953. On the session were guest musicians pianist Johnnie Jones, and guitarist Elmore James. The studio line-up produced the commercially successful sides "Eagle Rock" and "Cut that Out." These numbers were followed by a Little Walter-influenced instrumental "Junior's Wail" and a cover of John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson's "Hoodoo Man." Accompanied by pianist Henry Gray, "Hoodoo Man," wrote Mike Rowe in Chicago Blues, "achieved an easy relaxed swing as Junior blew beautifully controlled harp and the versatile Louis Meyers switched to slide guitar." In April of 1954, a second session for States--recorded when Wells was AWOL from the army--brought him together with the talents of pianist Otis Spann, Muddy Waters, and the session's bassist and producer Willie Dixon. In Down Beat Pete Welding described Wells's musicianship on the States sessions: "Wells's youthful enthusiasm and vitality were perfectly tempered by his commendably mature mastery and control, and these buttressed stunningly by the marvelous, sensitive accompanists he was provided." The experience with the Waters band, however, ended with his matriculation into the army. Before leaving for the service, he recorded one side with the Waters on the Chess label in 1954, "Standing Around Crying." Discharged from the army a year later, he rejoined the Muddy Waters Band before reforming the Three Aces with Syl Johnson, Dave Meyers, and Fred Below, to work Chicago's Du Drop Inn, on Wentworth Avenue. Around 1957, he signed a recording contract with Mel London's Chief Records' and cut such sides as "Two-Headed Woman," "I Could Cry," "Cha Cha Cha in Blue," and London's "Lovey Dovey Lovey One," the latter two of which featured bassist Willie Dixon. As Mike Rowe pointed out in Chicago Blues, Wells's ten sides for Chief "accounted for about a quarter of the label's total output." By 1958 Wells began to appear with guitarist Buddy Guy at Pepper's Lounge at 503 E. 43rd Street, and a South Side basement club, Theresa's, at the corner of 48th Street and Indiana. Guy had first heard the older harmonica stylist in his native Baton Rouge while performing on a package blues show in 1956. After he came to Chicago in 1957, Guy met Wells with whom he would later form the most enduring duo acts of modern Chicago blues. Wells returned to the studio in 1959 to record for Mel London's Profile label. Accompanied by guitarists Earl Hooker and David Meyers, pianist Lafayette Leake, and Willie Dixon, he cut London's biggest hit, "Little by Little," which reached twenty-three on the Billboard R&B charts in June 1960. With its gospel-like background vocals, "Little By Little" marked Wells's departure from the traditional Chicago blues formula. In October 1960, he recorded his first, and perhaps his most definitive rendition, of London's "Messin' With The Kid" for Chief--a number that retained a latin-rhythm feel which became lost in Wells's later, and many would argue much less inspired, versions. In 1960 Guy sat in on Wells's session that produced the number "Let Me Love You Baby." A year later, Wells continued to record for Chief, cutting several more sides until the company folded that the same year. In the mid-1960s Bob Koester, owner of the small Chicago-based Delmark label, heard Junior Wells perform at Theresa's Lounge, and invited him to record for his label. Wells then contacted Guy, and brought together bassist Jack Meyers, and drummer Billy Warren to record the critically acclaimed 1966 Delmark album, Hoodoo Man, which became a cult recording for a younger generation of bluesmen and white listeners. |
BLUES BLAST 2022 IS COMING!!
It's coming fast! Mark your calendars for Blues Blast 2022, bigger and better than ever. Watch this space for more information on the lineup, ticket purchases, event t-shirts, and volunteer opportunities. Note: If you did NOT request a refund for your 2020 tickets, your 2022 tickets will be available at Will Call. We'll be in touch with you to confirm. Thank you for your support of Blues Blast and Phoenix Blues Society! Blues Blast 2022 Saturday March 19th, 2022 Margaret T. Hance Park
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