Junior Wells & The Aces
In the mid to late 1960s blues musicians hoping to appeal to a wider audien… Read Full Bio ↴In the mid to late 1960s blues musicians hoping to appeal to a wider audience were starting to broaden the definition of their sound by incorporating elements of the more pop oriented funk, soul and R&B genres. Young, white, and predominately British, musicians had been mining blues back catalogues to churn out rock and roll hits since the the early part of the decade, with the result that the music's originators were far too often left out in the cold. While the home of electric urban blues, Chicago, was still home to clubs where the blues was welcomed and appreciated, players travelling outside that base faced a tough challenge finding audiences willing to listen to their music. It took a performer with a particular force of personality and presence to bring an audience out for a night of blues.
Junior Wells had been part of the blues scene in Chicago since the 1950s as both a solo performer and a member of Muddy Waters' band. In the 1960s he, like so many others, began to adopt elements of popular music and had some success with younger audiences. His 1965 recording Hoodoo Man Blues, was a surprise best selling album and its mixture of blues feelings and contemporary funk seemed to indicate that he was moving away from his roots permanently. Yet, the following year saw him going on tour backed up by the trio he had first gained renown with back in the 1950s, The Aces. Made up of the brothers Louis and Dave Myers, on guitar and and bass respectively, and Fred Below on drums, they were such an impressive trio that when famed blues singer and harmonica player Junior Walker was asked to name his favourite musicians from among those he'd worked with he simply named them.
With Junior Wells being dead for around fifteen years now we're obviously never going to have the opportunity to seem him performing with the Aces in person. Thankfully, for anybody who has any appreciation for the blues, a recording of one of those gigs they played together back in 1966 has survived and is now being released on CD for the first time by Delmark Records. Live In Boston 1966 not only features some great music, it also includes much of Junior's in between song patter from that night, which goes a long way to showing why he was such a popular performer, no matter what music he was playing. Junior was not only a great singer and harmonica player, he was also one of the great characters of blues music, and this recording captures each of the aspects that made him great.
The nineteen tracks on this disc are divided between the songs Junior and the Aces performed that night and his free associations between songs. Some of them are just your standard type song introductions, but others are short stories intent on capturing the feel of an upcoming song. Junior's delivery makes it feel like he's sharing a joke personally with each member of the audience and if he occasionally makes fun of somebody during his spiel, you have the feeling that he's laughing at himself as much as anybody else. While he might sound something like a fox in a hen house, he's more interested in tickling ribs then going for the throat. However, while the intros are funny enough, what makes this disc really special is the music of course.
Junior Wells doesn't have the best voice you'll ever hear, nor was he the hottest harmonica player, but what he did have, and by the bucket load, was that certain something that grabs you by the throat and forces your to pay attention to him. Even listening to this close to forty year old recording you can feel the energy he's putting out on that stage in a Boston. In some ways it doesn't really matter what he was singing, but how. Listen to him sing and you'll notice that he occasionally slurs words so you can't understand the lyrics. Yet listen a second or two longer and you'll realize it doesn't matter whether or not every word is distinct because you understand what he's singing about.
Somehow he's using his voice as a fifth instrument, an instrument that every so often spits out words that shape the emotion of whatever song is being sung and provide a framework on which to hang the music which carries the true message. When he's not singing his harmonica takes over and calls out its compliment to the vocals. His playing is as rough and ragged as his singing, but it articulates those words which we can never give voice to. Staccato trills mix with drawn out notes blown hard and fast, slow and mournful or high stepping and strutting. There's no need to ask after how the subject of the song is feeling because the combination of vocals and harmonica makes it crystal clear.
Some of the material will be familiar to listeners; "That's All Right", "Messin' With The Kid" and "Got My Mojo Workin'" for instance, but whether you know the songs or not you can't help but notice that Junior puts his own stamp on them. Some of them you'd swear that he's making things up as he goes along, or at least improvising new lyrics on the spot. Part of what makes this CD so much fun to listen to is that sense of somebody operating without a net at all times. In these days of carefully rehearsed shows with pre-recorded samples and tight arrangements, it's a real treat to hear something where you know there's some element of risk involved. It gives the music an edge and makes it all the more exciting - there's a sense of adventure we don't get to experience that often any more with popular music.
Every so often Junior turns proceedings over to the Aces and we learn why these guys were held in such high esteem. For the first part of the proceedings they don't do anything that draws attention to themselves in particular. However, you can't help but notice how they are loose enough to follow Junior no mater what direction he chooses to go in and tight enough to never miss a beat or slide past a note. However it's when Junior cuts them loose for the instrumental "Hideaway" that you understand just how good these guys are. Having been forced to listen to power trios in rock and roll for so long I'd forgotten it was possible for there to be such a thing as subtlety associated with bass, guitar and drums.
Below and the Myers brothers give a clinic proving the old adage that less is genuinely more and that you don't need to play loud and louder to make your point. Below sets the tone by playing some of the smoothest fills I've heard outside of a jazz combo, in fact his playing is far closer to that of the great jazz drummers of his era than anything I've heard from a blues or rock player. Smart and clean fills circle around a song's tempo without ever once letting go of the rhythm. Dave Myers' bass follows suit with a lead that is somehow complex without being flashy and when his brother Louis joins in with his guitar, he matches his sound so closely that at first it's almost impossible to tell them apart. Only when the bass retreats somewhat do you realize a guitar solo is even being played. I was listening to them play for a while thinking there was something odd going on when I finally figured it out. They were soloing as a unit, not as individuals, and because of that there was a flow and a harmony I've never heard in a trio before.
Still, the concert is about Junior Wells, and no matter how good the Aces are, Junior is the one we're always pulled back to. All he has to do is step up the microphone and begin singing and it wouldn't matter if he were backed up by a hundred piece orchestra playing at full volume and he would capture our attention. He doesn't have to shout, scream or engage in any of the fancy theatrics others use for us to notice him. There aren't many performers who have the ability to reach out and grab an audience simply by walking on stage, and even fewer who can make their presence shine through on a CD. We're not going to be able to see Junior Wells perform in person ever again, but recordings like this one at least give us some indication of what it must have been like to catch him on stage. If like me you never had the opportunity to see him live, don't miss out on this chance at the next best thing.
(Article first published as Music Review: Junior Wells & The Aces - Live In Boston 1966 on Blogcritics.)
Junior Wells had been part of the blues scene in Chicago since the 1950s as both a solo performer and a member of Muddy Waters' band. In the 1960s he, like so many others, began to adopt elements of popular music and had some success with younger audiences. His 1965 recording Hoodoo Man Blues, was a surprise best selling album and its mixture of blues feelings and contemporary funk seemed to indicate that he was moving away from his roots permanently. Yet, the following year saw him going on tour backed up by the trio he had first gained renown with back in the 1950s, The Aces. Made up of the brothers Louis and Dave Myers, on guitar and and bass respectively, and Fred Below on drums, they were such an impressive trio that when famed blues singer and harmonica player Junior Walker was asked to name his favourite musicians from among those he'd worked with he simply named them.
With Junior Wells being dead for around fifteen years now we're obviously never going to have the opportunity to seem him performing with the Aces in person. Thankfully, for anybody who has any appreciation for the blues, a recording of one of those gigs they played together back in 1966 has survived and is now being released on CD for the first time by Delmark Records. Live In Boston 1966 not only features some great music, it also includes much of Junior's in between song patter from that night, which goes a long way to showing why he was such a popular performer, no matter what music he was playing. Junior was not only a great singer and harmonica player, he was also one of the great characters of blues music, and this recording captures each of the aspects that made him great.
The nineteen tracks on this disc are divided between the songs Junior and the Aces performed that night and his free associations between songs. Some of them are just your standard type song introductions, but others are short stories intent on capturing the feel of an upcoming song. Junior's delivery makes it feel like he's sharing a joke personally with each member of the audience and if he occasionally makes fun of somebody during his spiel, you have the feeling that he's laughing at himself as much as anybody else. While he might sound something like a fox in a hen house, he's more interested in tickling ribs then going for the throat. However, while the intros are funny enough, what makes this disc really special is the music of course.
Junior Wells doesn't have the best voice you'll ever hear, nor was he the hottest harmonica player, but what he did have, and by the bucket load, was that certain something that grabs you by the throat and forces your to pay attention to him. Even listening to this close to forty year old recording you can feel the energy he's putting out on that stage in a Boston. In some ways it doesn't really matter what he was singing, but how. Listen to him sing and you'll notice that he occasionally slurs words so you can't understand the lyrics. Yet listen a second or two longer and you'll realize it doesn't matter whether or not every word is distinct because you understand what he's singing about.
Somehow he's using his voice as a fifth instrument, an instrument that every so often spits out words that shape the emotion of whatever song is being sung and provide a framework on which to hang the music which carries the true message. When he's not singing his harmonica takes over and calls out its compliment to the vocals. His playing is as rough and ragged as his singing, but it articulates those words which we can never give voice to. Staccato trills mix with drawn out notes blown hard and fast, slow and mournful or high stepping and strutting. There's no need to ask after how the subject of the song is feeling because the combination of vocals and harmonica makes it crystal clear.
Some of the material will be familiar to listeners; "That's All Right", "Messin' With The Kid" and "Got My Mojo Workin'" for instance, but whether you know the songs or not you can't help but notice that Junior puts his own stamp on them. Some of them you'd swear that he's making things up as he goes along, or at least improvising new lyrics on the spot. Part of what makes this CD so much fun to listen to is that sense of somebody operating without a net at all times. In these days of carefully rehearsed shows with pre-recorded samples and tight arrangements, it's a real treat to hear something where you know there's some element of risk involved. It gives the music an edge and makes it all the more exciting - there's a sense of adventure we don't get to experience that often any more with popular music.
Every so often Junior turns proceedings over to the Aces and we learn why these guys were held in such high esteem. For the first part of the proceedings they don't do anything that draws attention to themselves in particular. However, you can't help but notice how they are loose enough to follow Junior no mater what direction he chooses to go in and tight enough to never miss a beat or slide past a note. However it's when Junior cuts them loose for the instrumental "Hideaway" that you understand just how good these guys are. Having been forced to listen to power trios in rock and roll for so long I'd forgotten it was possible for there to be such a thing as subtlety associated with bass, guitar and drums.
Below and the Myers brothers give a clinic proving the old adage that less is genuinely more and that you don't need to play loud and louder to make your point. Below sets the tone by playing some of the smoothest fills I've heard outside of a jazz combo, in fact his playing is far closer to that of the great jazz drummers of his era than anything I've heard from a blues or rock player. Smart and clean fills circle around a song's tempo without ever once letting go of the rhythm. Dave Myers' bass follows suit with a lead that is somehow complex without being flashy and when his brother Louis joins in with his guitar, he matches his sound so closely that at first it's almost impossible to tell them apart. Only when the bass retreats somewhat do you realize a guitar solo is even being played. I was listening to them play for a while thinking there was something odd going on when I finally figured it out. They were soloing as a unit, not as individuals, and because of that there was a flow and a harmony I've never heard in a trio before.
Still, the concert is about Junior Wells, and no matter how good the Aces are, Junior is the one we're always pulled back to. All he has to do is step up the microphone and begin singing and it wouldn't matter if he were backed up by a hundred piece orchestra playing at full volume and he would capture our attention. He doesn't have to shout, scream or engage in any of the fancy theatrics others use for us to notice him. There aren't many performers who have the ability to reach out and grab an audience simply by walking on stage, and even fewer who can make their presence shine through on a CD. We're not going to be able to see Junior Wells perform in person ever again, but recordings like this one at least give us some indication of what it must have been like to catch him on stage. If like me you never had the opportunity to see him live, don't miss out on this chance at the next best thing.
(Article first published as Music Review: Junior Wells & The Aces - Live In Boston 1966 on Blogcritics.)
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Junior Wells & The Aces Lyrics
I Don't Know おい 金なら超稼いでる 可愛い女としょっちゅう遊ぶ 貧乏田舎育ちの僕 Hip hopで成功？それとっく (yeah) 別…
Messin' With the Kid What's this a-here goin all around town The people they say…
Talk 참 오랜만이야 널 불러보는 게 기다리게 해서 정말 미안 예전 모습 그대로 (ah) 너는…
Talk no. 1 [Chorus] OK, I stepped off in this motherfucker bank roll on…
Talk no. 2 (Aye, Lil Ace) (We back with another one, two times) (Ferno …
Talk no. 3 Straight off the rip, just like I'm DaBaby When I pour…
That's All Right All That All Tha-aa-yeah-yeah-yeah All That That girl is ana…
Theme Jack and David's here Cinephiles top tier They're movie lovi…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Junior Wells:
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction I can't get no satisfaction, I can't get no satisfaction. 'C…
(I Got a) Stomach Ache Come on, ooh, come on Come on, baby Ooh, I got a…
A Man Of Many Words I don't care what nobody say I'm a many of a…
Baby Shake it, baby, shake it, baby Shake it, baby, I'll buy…
Checking On My Baby When my baby she left me She left me with…
Come On in This House Now there's no need for you Standin' there cryin' Cause yo…
Earley In the Morning Early in the morning I can't get right I had a…
Everyday I Have The Blues Everyday, everyday I have the blues Everyday, everyday I hav…
Five Long Years Lord, have you ever been mistreated Then you got to, you…
Give Me One Reason Give me one reason to stay here And I'll turn right…
Good Morning Schoolgirl Good morning little schoolgirl Can I go home, home with you?…
Help Me You got to help me I can't do it all by…
Hey Lawdy Mama You wanna go out, babe, too late at night Lawdy Mama,…
Honest I Do Don't cha know that I love you? Honest I do I'd never…
Hoo Doo Man (Live) Lord, I wonder what's the matter, I'm crying all the Time Th…
Hoodoo Man Well, I wonder, what's exactly the matter Child you know th…
Hoodoo Man Blues (1965) Lord, I wonder what's the, got the matter Time, you …
I Give me one reason to stay here And I'll turn right…
I Could Cry Oh, sometimes I could cry Woman I could just lay down…
I Just Want to Make Love to You I don't want you be no slave I don't want you…
In the Wee Hours Oowee, oo-oo-oowee Oowee baby, mmhmm, oo-oowee I just need s…
It Hurts Me Too You said you was hurting You almost lost your mind The man…
Junior Wells You gotta help me Can't do it all by myself You gotta Can…
King Fish Blues Little minnows in the river king fish in the deep blue…
Little By Little You stay out all night till the break of day, you…
Little By Little (I'm Losing You) Ohhh, ohhh, oh. Baby, out all night until the break of…
Love Her with a Feeling The woman I love man you she kind-a She kind-a…
Messin What's this a-here goin all around town The people they say…
Messin With the Kid What's this a-here goin all around town The people they say…
Messin'With the Kid What's this a-here goin' all around town The people they say…
Messing With The Kid What's this a-here goin all around town The people they say…
Million Years Blues Neoneun wae itorok nareul tteollige hani Neoui jonjaemani na…
My Baby She Left Me When my baby she left me She left me with…
Mystery Train Train I ride, sixteen coaches long Train I ride, sixteen coa…
Rollin Well, I rolled and I tumbled Cried the whole night long Well…
Sally Mae Sally Mae, Sally Mae Lord, you know, you ain't done me…
Shake It Baby Shake it, baby, shake it, baby Shake it, baby, I'll buy…
She When my baby she left me She left me with…
Shotgun Blues When my baby she left me She left me with a…
Snatch It Back and Hold It Snatch it back and hold it Baby one more time I ain't…
Stomach Ache Come on, ooh, come on Come on, baby Ooh, I got a…
Stone Crazy Woman you must be stone down crazy Either you're going to…
Stormy Monday Blues They call it stormy Monday but Tuesday's just as bad Lord, t…
Take Off Your Shoes If you're gonna walk on my love, baby The least…
That They take your love and your money They take your shugar…
The Train Train I ride, sixteen coaches long Train I ride, sixteen coa…
Today I Started Loving You Again Today I started loving you again I'm right back where I've…
Trust My Baby When my baby she left me She left me with…
Use Me Well my friends feel it's their appointed duty They keep tr…
Viet Cong Blues I woke up early this mornin' I was feelin' kind of…
Vietcong Blues I woke up early this mornin' I was feelin' kind of…
what my mama told me Lord I should have been did what my Mama told…
When My Baby Left Me When my baby she left me She left me with…
Why Are People Like That They take your love and your money They take your shugar…
You You stay out all night till the break of day, you…
You Better Watch Yourself Oh baby, you gonna miss me when I'm gone Oh baby,…
You Don't Love Me Baby You don't love me, baby You don't love me, yes I…
You Gotta Love Her With a Feeling The woman I love man you she kind-a She kind-a…
We have lyrics for these tracks by The Aces:
0.0.7 0-0-7 0-0-7 At ocean eleven And now rudeboys have a…
007 0-0-7 0-0-7 At Ocean 11 And now rude boys have go wail ?Caus…
801 Growing up in the 801 There's only one club So we blow…
All Mean Nothing I don't even know Where you've been Or where you go If you…
Always Get This Way Hope it doesn't get worse as I get older Everyone's giving…
Attention You were crying and trying to hide it Didn't think anyone…
Baby Who Look for answers I never use to wonder why Search for loving…
Bad Love I can't help it The way I feel you in my…
Can You Do What I say, you do When I come There's no rules Put a…
Cruel I think back to when you were mine I think about…
Daydream Daydream 'bout me And I know that you hate the nights…
Don't Freak V1 Don't ya wanna know just how to let go baby Hate…
Fake Nice You never say Anything that I need to That I need to…
Girls Make Me Wanna Die She's got a cigarette between both teeth The way we met,…
Going Home Say so, don't go I know you won't You push, I pull You…
Holiday 아름답게 펼쳐진 빛나는 하늘과 (what I love) 시원한 바람이 내맘에 불어와 쏟아지는 저…
Hurricane I told you that I loved you and I meant…
I Can Break Your Heart Too Cut you off, and you're acting different Cut you off, and…
I'm Not A King I’m not okay, I’m not okay But I pretend to be I’m…
I've Loved You For So Long I've loved you for so long Oh, I'd forgotten how it…
Im Not A King I’m not okay, I’m not okay But I pretend to be I’m…
Israelites Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir So that…
Just Like That I took a car to your place I wanted to see…
Kelly Met a girl with a smile that I liked And her…
Last One You've kept me sleepless every night, I swear this is…
Live & Learn Can you feel life moving through your mind? Oh, looks like…
Lost Angeles Driving on Sunset Everything's perfect But I think that we m…
Lovin Is Bible (Your lovin' is, your lovin' is) You know I'm not religious…
Lovin' is Bible Ooh, ooh, ooh ooh ooh Ooh, ooh, ooh ooh ooh (Your lovin'…
Miserable Mailman comes around 6:15 I thought I saw my neighbors kissi…
Money Marbles And Chalk You know, the landlord rang my front door bell I let…
Mother's Young Gal Mother young gal Oh, oh, oh Hold yu belly Wha' mek yu fool…
My Phone is Trying to Kill Me I'mma put down my phone 'Cause it makes me feel so…
New Emotion Thought about it Never thought about it before Now I'm think…
Not Enough I don't know how You got this hold on me You say…
Not the Same The girl of my dreams Has faded away We're in different plac…
Person Have sex in the middle of a fight Still with her,…
Physical We can change our bad habits Try to sleep at night Lost…
Pickney Gal I put my money into a condens can You steal it…
Put It On The Line I loved the sound of when you came home Oh I…
Rude Boy Train The rude boy train is comin' now The rude boy train…
Rudy Got Soul You are the one I adore That is why I flipped…
Solo So stop saying it's unnecessary To feel this way So stop act…
Stay I don't know what to do no more Niggas don't think…
Stop Feeling Stay up on a Friday night Got nowhere to go So I…
Strong Enough Is it easy for you if I took time? Would you…
Stuck We talk, talk 'til we're blue in the face The words,…
Suburban Blues Small town, I'm burnt out On a drive back to my…
The Israelites Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir So that…
Thought of You I've seen a lot of things For twenty-three Abandoned all my …
Touch I don't know which way the current flows But I'm taking…
Unity This is the time that we all should live as…
Volcanic Love Out of the darkness I sparked a match that set the…
Waiting for You I thought I made it clear as crystal It doesn't have…
You Can Get It If You Really Want You can get it if you really want You can get…
Younger I was thinking back to when I was younger Long hair,…
Zillionaire Empty my account 'Cause none of it counts Not like you do,…