He is considered the last great Chicago harmonica player. He was a talented stylist and a pioneer in postwar blues harmonica. He was a bad guy, walking across the stage like an armed gangster and captivating the audience with his rough-guy antics. Amazingly, Junior Wells continued to perform exactly this type of act for more than 40 years. He was active from the beginning of the 1950s to his death in late 1990s. Born in Memphis, Wells was taught his first harp licks by Little Junior Parker. He moved to Chicago when he was 12. The Deuces were formed in 1950 when Wells, a teenager, passed an audition for the guitarists Louis and David Myers at an informal South Side house party. They changed their name to Aces when Fred Below, the drummer, joined them. In 1952, Little Walter quit Muddy Waters (following his hit instrumental “Juke”) and Wells joined the band to take his place. The Aces, who teamed up with Little Walter, didn’t stop Wells from backing him on his initial sessions at States Records. His debut date produced some great Chicago blues performances, including the rollicking “Hoodoo Man,” the “Cut That Out” and the blistering instrumentals “Eagle Rock”, however. The next year saw more fireworks as Wells returned to States with a mournful rendition of “So All Alone” followed by a jumping “Lawdy!” Lawdy!” Muddy Waters was the guitarist for the session. Wells already displayed his sexiness — he was allegedly missing from the Army at that time. Wells met Mel London in 1957 to produce Profile and Chief logos. This association led to many of Wells’ most memorable sides, such as “I Could Cry” (rock) and “Profile”, which Mel London owned.
