The first take of Juke was Little Walter’s first hit, and it was the most i… Read Full Bio ↴The first take of Juke was Little Walter’s first hit, and it was the most important of his career. Due to the influence of Little Walter on blues harmonica, Juke (the first, released take) is now considered a blues harmonica standard.
This second, vastly different, take from the same session, was finally issued for the first time over 40 years later.
Both takes were recorded on 12 May 1952 at the beginning (not the end, as commonly thought) of a recording session with Muddy Waters and his band, which at the time consisted of Waters and Jimmy Rogers on guitars, and Elga Edmunds on drums, in addition to Little Walter on harmonica. The session was recorded by engineer Bill Putnam at his Universal Recorders studio at 111 E. Ontario St. on the near north side of Chicago, Illinois.
Juke (the first take) reached the number-one spot on Billboard's R&B chart - no other harmonica instrumental achieved this feat, before or since - and stayed in the #1 spot for 8 weeks. The record stayed on the Billboard charts for a total of 20 weeks, and was one of the biggest R&B hits in the U.S. in 1952.
This second, vastly different, take from the same session, was finally issued for the first time over 40 years later.
Both takes were recorded on 12 May 1952 at the beginning (not the end, as commonly thought) of a recording session with Muddy Waters and his band, which at the time consisted of Waters and Jimmy Rogers on guitars, and Elga Edmunds on drums, in addition to Little Walter on harmonica. The session was recorded by engineer Bill Putnam at his Universal Recorders studio at 111 E. Ontario St. on the near north side of Chicago, Illinois.
Juke (the first take) reached the number-one spot on Billboard's R&B chart - no other harmonica instrumental achieved this feat, before or since - and stayed in the #1 spot for 8 weeks. The record stayed on the Billboard charts for a total of 20 weeks, and was one of the biggest R&B hits in the U.S. in 1952.
Juke
Little Walter Lyrics
Instrumental
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