Live at Theresa's 1975

Junior Wells | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 17, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Delmark
• ASIN: B000HEWG0Q
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #179,695 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Little By Little (4:25)

2. Snatch It Back And Hold It (6:23)

3. Talk (0:27)

4. Love Her With A Feeling (4:11)

5. Juke (3:32)

6. Talk (1:00)

7. Happy Birthday (1:27)

8. Talk (1:45)

9. Scratch My Back (5:42)

10. Help The Poor (3:52)

11. Talk (0:40)

12. Come On In This House (3:23)

13. Talk (0:42)

14. What My Mama Told Me (7:58)

15. Key To The Highway (4:02)

16. Talk (0:12)

17. Goin' Down Slow (8:21)

18. Talk (0:14)

19. Messin' With The Kid (2:21)

Editorial Reviews

Junior Wells started playing regularly at Theresa's in the late 1950s. There were other small blues clubs in Chicago, and Junior occasionally played them, but only at Theresa's did his immense magnetism come across every time he performed. Wells magnetism.

For those of us who heard him at Theresa's, Junior Wells remains the greatest blues man. Not the greatest harmonica player - though he was great at that. Not the greatest blues singer - though he was really great at that. Not the greatest songwriter - mostly he sang others' material. But it wasn't really about an instrument, a voice, or a lyric. It was about a relationship. Theresa's itself was his true instrument. No one else played it as well, and no other place he played gave him as good a sound. As we often had occasion to say in those days, "Man, you should've been there!" Now you can be.

Junior Wells, vocals, harmonica
Phil Guy, guitar (except 10)
Byther Smith, guitar (1-10), vocal (10), 2nd vocal (1)
Sammy Lawhorn, guitar (12-19)
Earnest Johnson, bass
Vince Chapelle, drums (1-10)
Levi Warren, drums (12-19)
Unknown, 2nd guitar (10)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just terrific!, November 4, 2006

By 

geewhiz - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Live at Theresa's 1975 (Audio CD)

This CD is a great companion to "Junior Wells: On Tap". On Tap was the first blues album I bought (on vinyl) around 1980 and it inspired me to play blues harp. I never saw Junior play at Theresa's but I saw his performances at many other venues, often with Buddy Guy. The combination of the songs and speaking on this album make you feel like you're in the audience. Junior's rendition of "Juke" sounds like Little Walter or Carey Bell playing live on Maxwell Street! In many ways, this recording captures the essence of Junior Wells, a true blues legend who died before his time.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Live Blues Album Should Be A Classic, June 28, 2007

By 

Terence Allen (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Live at Theresa's 1975 (Audio CD)

Junior Wells' "Live at Theresa's 1975" should grow into a classic live blues recording because it gives you the heart and soul of a live blues performance: great music, great songs, and great patter.

Theresa's was a popular Chicago blues spot in 1975, and it served as one of the chief hangouts of blues harmonica great Wells when he was in town. On the record, he's definitely in his element: laughing, joking, and working the room. The music is great, and Wells' gritty, raw-edged vocals heighten the flaovr of the live performance.

This is a great live recording of an genre, and one that will be fondly remembered.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Album, Under Rated Artist, April 22, 2008

By 

Boston Bluesman (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Live at Theresa's 1975 (Audio CD)

This is a great live blues album. The sound quality is pretty good and the venue is small enough to give you a good sense of what it would have been like to see Junior is a club. This album finds junior in his prime (which was quite a while) and feeling comfortable with his environment.

For more great live Junior Wells check out Buddy Guy's Smolin' TNT and Drinking Dynamite (which is just as much a Junior album as it is a Guy album). For great studio work check out Hoodoo Man Blues, which may be one of the finest studio blues albums ever made.

Given his catelog and this album,it got me thinking that may be Junior is a little (or a lot)under rated. He was one of the best and this album is proof of that. Enjoy.