Junior Wells | |
|---|---|
 Wells, Chicago Illinois, c. 1984 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Amos Wells Blakemore Jr. |
| Born | December 9, 1934 West Memphis, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 1998 (aged 63) Chicago, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, harmonica |
| Years active | 1950s–1997 |
| Labels | |
Junior Wells (born Amos 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 album Hoodoo 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 as rhythm and blues.[2]
Wells performed and recorded with various notable blues musicians, including Muddy Waters, Earl Hooker, and Buddy Guy.[3] He remained a fixture on the blues scene throughout his career and also crossed over to rock audiences while touring with the 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]
- ^ Adair, Don (February 24, 1995). "Indications Are That Junior Wells Is At His Best". Spokesman-Review. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ a b "Junior Wells". Chicago Tribune. January 17, 1992.
Wells calls it simply "rhythm and blues. Blues is blues no matter where it's at-it's not Chicago blues or Memphis blues."
- ^ a b Dahl, Bill (1996). "Junior Wells". In Erlewine, Michael (ed.). All Music Guide to the Blues: The Experts' Guide to the Best Blues Recordings. All Music Guide to the Blues. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books. pp. 274–276. ISBN 0-87930-424-3.
- ^ a b Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). "Junior Wells". Encyclopedia of the Blues. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press. pp. 360–362. ISBN 1-55728-252-8.