Description
Junior Wells’ Chicago Blues Band With Buddy Guy – Hoodoo Man Blues – Vinyl Record
Junior Wells’ Chicago Blues Band with Buddy Guy – Hoodoo Man Blues (1965) is a towering achievement in electric blues and one of the most influential and authentically captured blues albums of the modern era. Released on Delmark Records and produced by Bob Koester, this landmark recording is often heralded as the first true “blues album”—not a collection of singles or a commercialized product, but a unified, full-length artistic statement that presents the Chicago blues at its most raw, grooving, and emotionally direct.
From the first few bars of the opening track, “Snatch It Back and Hold It,” it’s clear that this isn’t a slick studio session or a sanitized version of the blues—it’s streetwise, soulful, and improvisational, the sound of a working Chicago band captured as they sounded in the clubs of the South Side. Junior Wells, with his expressive, talk-like phrasing and earthy, biting harmonica tone, is in complete command, delivering vocals that blend sly humor, simmering tension, and righteous conviction. At his side is a then-rising guitar powerhouse: Buddy Guy, credited anonymously on the original pressing due to contractual complications, but instantly recognizable for his fiery, stinging, yet subtle style.
The chemistry between Wells and Guy is electric. Rather than dominating the session, Guy plays in an unusually restrained, textural mode, often using a Leslie speaker cabinet—typically associated with organs—to create a ghostly, swirling tone that adds a haunting dimension to the grooves. On tracks like “Hoodoo Man Blues” and “Yonder Wall,” the guitar and harmonica weave around each other with conversational intensity, while the rhythm section (Jack Myers on bass, Billy Warren on drums) keeps things locked in a loose, swinging pocket that feels alive and spontaneous.
Unlike many blues albums of the time, which often felt either overly raw or overly polished, Hoodoo Man Blues strikes a perfect balance. The production is warm and open, capturing the ambient space of the room and giving every instrument its own breathing room. There’s a cinematic feel to the record—intimate, gritty, yet smooth, like a candid black-and-white photo from a smoky Chicago club.
Musically, the album touches on a range of moods and tempos. The slow-burning “Early in the Morning” drips with longing and regret, while “Chitlin Con Carne” (originally a jazz instrumental by Kenny Burrell) showcases the band’s ability to cross genre lines without losing their core identity. Throughout, Wells proves himself not just a charismatic frontman, but a true blues storyteller, using his voice and harp to draw you into each song’s emotional world.
Hoodoo Man Blues was a critical success upon release and has only grown in stature over the decades. It became a blueprint for countless electric blues records that followed, influencing everyone from Stevie Ray Vaughan to The Black Keys. For Buddy Guy, it marked an early milestone in a career that would eventually make him a legend in his own right. For Junior Wells, it was the definitive statement of his career—the album that captured him at the height of his creative and vocal powers.
In the larger blues canon, Hoodoo Man Blues remains essential listening: not just as a historical document, but as a vivid, living example of what makes the blues so powerful—its immediacy, its emotional honesty, and its deep, unbreakable groove. It’s not just a great blues album—it’s one of the great American albums, period. Whether you’re a seasoned blues listener or just stepping into the genre, this record is a must-hear, and it holds up with every spin.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Snatch It Back And Hold It
Ships On The Ocean
Good Morning Schoolgirl
Hound Dog
In The Wee Wee Hours
Hey Lawdy Mama
Hoodoo Man Blues
Early In The Morning
We’re Ready
You Don’t Love Me, Baby
Chitlin Con Carne
Yonder Wall
