Junior Wells

When I think about postwar Chicago blues, Junior Wells is one of the names I keep coming back to. Born Amos Wells Blakemore Jr. in Memphis in 1934, he made his mark as a singer and harmonica player, and what strikes me is how he framed his own sound as rhythm and blues rather than letting critics box him in. His 1965 album Hoodoo Man Blues earned a reputation as a genuine classic of the decade, and Messin' with the Kid became the signature people still associate with him. He died in 1998, but that harmonica voice still feels alive to me.

Name (English)

Junior Wells

Name (Japanese)

ジュニア・ウェルズ

Reading

じゅにあ・うぇるず

Born

December 9, 1934 – January 15, 1998

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Sagittarius / Dog

Origin

Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Occupation

blues musician / singer / musician

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A5%E3%83%8B%E3%82%A2%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A7%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BA

Tags

• Tennessee
• blues musician
• singer
• musician

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.