Blues On Stage - Junior Wells @ West Bank Blues Festival

Junior Wells
@ West Bank Blues Festival
June 29, 1997

Junior Wells Band
West Bank Blues Festival - 6/29/97
Photo © 1997 by Tom Asp. All rights reserved.

Junior Wells closed out the weekend at the West Bank Blues Festival with one of his better performances. He was keyed up and in a fun mood - looking sharp and sounding in fine form. Junior has to be the best dressed blues performer on stage today. Tonight was no exception with his all white suit and hat, black shirt with white collar and cuffs and one "lonnnnng" white tie. He also had enough gold and silver jewelry to open a store. Junior's nine-member band opened the set and then introduced him as the "legendary Mississippi sax", and "Godfather of the blues." The sounds of Junior's harp and vocals could he heard as he made his way to the stage through the packed crowd. Throughout the show he was giving us a moderate dose of his trademark vocal smacks, clucks, pops and "yeows," and didn't let them get out of hand. His emphasis was on his music and he was sounding real good tonight. He never plays enough harp for me but what he did play was right on the money.

Junior Wells
West Bank Blues Festival - 6/29/97
Photo © 1997 by Tom Asp. All rights reserved.
Junior has a liking for good guitar players (he spent over two decades playing with one of the best in Buddy Guy), and one of his newest band members is a young guitar sensation from Florida. 27 year old Albert Castiglia has been playing guitar since he was 14 and was literally plucked out of a garage band to go on the road with Wells. What an opportunity! He is making the most of it and after the show Junior says he gets certain feelings about musicians that usually turn out to be correct. He has one of those good feelings about Albert and was keeping a watchful eye on his playing during the show.

Junior did his usual "That's Alright Mama," "Messin' With The Kid" and "Got My Mojo Working," as well as the Merle Haggard song, "Today I Started Loving You Again," and transformed this country tune into the blues. His final walk about the packed room, playing harmonica on the remote mike, put the finishing touches on a fun weekend of outstanding blues.

E-mail Ray Stiles at: mnblues@aol.com

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Copyright © 1997 by Ray M. Stiles
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.