JUNIOR WELLS 'HOODOO MAN BLUES' ORIGINAL 1965 DELMARK RELEASE

TRULY EXCEPTIONAL COPY! 

THE EXTREMELY RARE "FRIENDLY CHAP" VERSION

Hoodoo Man Blues Review by Bill Dahl

COURTESY OF ALL MUSIC.COM

Hoodoo Man Blues is one of the truly classic blues albums of the 1960s, and one of the first to fully document, in the superior acoustics of a recording studio, the smoky ambience of a night at a West Side nightspot. Junior Wells just set up with his usual cohorts -- guitarist Buddy Guy, bassist Jack Myers, and drummer Billy Warren -- and proceeded to blow up a storm, bringing an immediacy to "Snatch It Back and Hold It," "You Don't Love Me, Baby," "Chitlins con Carne," and the rest of the tracks that is absolutely mesmerizing. Widely regarded as one of Wells' finest achievements, it also became Delmark's best-selling release of all time. Producer Bob Koester vividly captures the type of grit that Wells brought to the stage. When Wells and his colleagues dig into "Good Morning, Schoolgirl," "Yonder Wall," or "We're Ready," they sound raw, gutsy, and uninhibited. And while Guy leaves the singing to Wells, he really shines on guitar. Guy, it should be noted, was listed as "Friendly Chap" on  Delmark's original LP version of Hoodoo Man Blues; Delmark thought Guy was under contract to Chess, so they gave him a pseudonym. But by the early '70s, Guy's real name was being listed on pressings. This is essential listening for lovers of electric Chicago blues.

Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band – Hoodoo Man Blues   

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Label: Delmark Records – DS-9612 Series: Roots Of Jazz Series Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo Country: US Released: Nov 1965 Genre: Blues Style: Chicago Blues, Rhythm & Blues

Tracklist

Hide Credits A1 Snatch It Back And Hold It Written-By – Wells* Written-By – Wells* 2:53 A2 Ships On The Ocean Written-By – Wells* Written-By – Wells* 4:07 A3 Good Morning Schoolgirl Arranged By – Wells* Arranged By – Wells* 3:50 A4 Hound Dog Written-By – Thornton* Written-By – Thornton* 2:12 A5 In The Wee Hours Written-By – Guy*, Wells* Written-By – Guy*, Wells* 3:42 A6 Hey Lawdy Mama Arranged By – Wells* Arranged By – Wells* 3:10 B1 Hoodoo Man Blues Written-By – Wells* Written-By – Wells* 2:49 B2 Early In The Morning Arranged By – Wells* Arranged By – Wells* 4:44 B3 We're Ready Written-By – Guy*, Wells* Written-By – Guy*, Wells* 3:33 B4 You Don't Love Me, Baby Arranged By – Wells* Arranged By – Wells* 2:58 B5 Chitlin Con Carne Written-By – Kenny Burrell Written-By – Kenny Burrell 2:12 B6 Yonder Wall Arranged By – Wells* Arranged By – Wells* 4:10

Companies, etc.

• Published By – Koester Music
• Published By – Brandom Music
• Recorded At – Sound Studios, Chicago

Credits

• Bass – Jack Myers
• Design [Cover] – Z. Jastrzebski*
• Drums – Billy Warren*
• Guitar – Friendly Chap
• Harmonica, Vocals – Junior Wells
• Liner Notes – Bob Koester*
• Photography By – RGK (2)
• Producer [Album], Supervised By – Robert G. Koester
• Recorded By – Stu Black

Notes

Recorded Sept. 22-23, 1965. First reviews of LP were published in March 1966. Producer Bob Koester's liner notes include a reference to "last year (1965)", however, when discussing this Junior Wells recording in an interview published on Koester's rhythm & news (delmark records and jazz record mart) website he said, "The resulting album, Hoodoo Man Blues (#612) was released in November of 1965 and was our best-seller to date, shipping 1700 copies vs. c.700 for the Big Joe's and c.1300 for the Estes."

Barcode and Other Identifiers

• Matrix / Runout (A-Side Label): DL-9612-A
• Matrix / Runout (B-Side Label): DL-9612-B
• Matrix / Runout (Side A, etched): T4RS-1737-1; A
• Matrix / Runout (Side B, etched): T4RS-1738-1; B