Junior Wells (December 9, 1934 – January 15, 1998), born Amos Wells
Blakemore Jr., was an American Chicago blues vocalist, harmonica
player, and recording artist. Wells, who was best known for his
performances and recordings with Muddy Waters, Earl Hooker, and Buddy
Guy, also performed with Bonnie Raitt, the Rolling Stones, and Van
Morrison.
Life and career
Junior Wells was possibly born in Memphis, Tennessee, United Statesand
raised in West Memphis, Arkansas, though other sources report that his
birth was in West Memphis, Arkansas. Initially taught by his cousin,
Junior Parker, and Sonny Boy Williamson II, Wells learned how to play
the harmonica by the age of seven with surprising skill. He moved to
Chicago in 1948 with his mother after her divorce and began sitting in
with local musicians at house parties and taverns. Wild and rebellious but
needing an outlet for his talents, he began performing with The Aces
(guitarist brothers Dave and Louis Myers and drummer Fred Below) and developed a more modern amplified harmonica style influenced by Little
Walter. In 1952, he made his first recordings, when he replaced Little Walter in Muddy Waters' band and appeared on one of Muddy's sessions
for Chess Records in 1952. His first recordings as a band leader were made in the following year for States Records. In the later 1950s and
early 1960s, he also recorded singles for Chief Records and its Profile Records subsidiary, 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 producer Mel London) reached #23 in the Billboard R&B chart, making it the first of two Wells' singles to enter the chart.
Wells' album Hoodoo Man Blues (1965) on Delmark Records featured Buddy Guy on guitar. The two worked with the Rolling Stones on several
occasions in the 1970s. His album South Side Blues Jam came out in 1971) and On Tap in 1975His 1996 release Come on in This House includes
slide guitarists, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Derek Trucks, and others. Wells made an appearance in the film Blues Brothers 2000, the sequel to The
Blues Brothers, which was released in 1998
Junior Wells in Urbana, Illinois, in 1983
From Wells' "Hoodoo Man Blues" album cover Junior gives this story: "I went to this pawnshop downtown and the man had a harmonica prices 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 I had 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 my why I did it. I told him I had 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!" (1948)
Wells began to have serious health problems, including cancer and a heart attack, in 1997. He died in Chicago on January 15, 1998, and was
interred in the Oak Woods Cemetery, Chicago.
Wells was mentioned in the Steppenwolf song, "Tighten Up Your Wig", in which the lyrics explicitly state that they copied the music from Junior
Wells' tune, "Messing with the Kid".
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