Feed Christa Wells

Four Chicago harmonica greats, one eminently solid album. Teamed with Junior Wells, Billy Branch, and Carey Bell, Cotton sings Willie Love's Delta classic "Little Car Blues" and Charles Brown's "Black Night." Wells trades harp solos and vocals, standing front and center on a fine rendition of Sonny Boy II's "Keep Your Hands Out of My Pockets" and the tailor-made "Somebody Changed the Lock" and "Broke and Hungry," obviously relishing the camaraderie between himself and his fellow harmonica giants. Meanwhile, Branch's showcases are the apt original "New Kid on the Block" and a deft cover of Little Walter's "Who."

A superb and thrilling collection of early singles from one of the all-time blues greats, pioneering vocalist and harmonica player Junior Wells! Wells blended numerous styles including soul, gospel and even early rock on these early recordings some of which still remain his most identifiable sides including “Hoodoo Man,” “Lovey Dovey Lovey One,” “Messin’ With The Kid” and more!

Vintage concert recording from the original Blues Brothers, Junior Wells & Buddy Guy! Recorded live at Biddy Mulligan's in Chicago, IL the city where both Wells and Guy became local heroes before becoming national legends! Ripping, soulful performances of "Dust My Broom," "You've Got To Love Her With A Feeling," and "Crosscut Saw" plus an unreleased live bonus track from 1970!

The historically monumental concert performance by blues legends Buddy Guy & Junior Wells! Recorded 1978 in the gorgeous seaside town of Montreux at the foot of the Swiss Alps, this show cemented Guy & Wells’s reputation as the most significant, undeniable blues duo in music history! The audio has been digitally remastered for the highest audio quality possible!

The classic pairing of Buddy Guy and Junior Wells has been captured many times on vinyl, cassette, and disc over the years, but rarely with such intimacy and subtle, restrained energy as on this wonderful collection. Buddy Guy plays mostly 12 string guitar, and Junior laces his signature lines through the songs, engaging Guy in the kind of musical dialogue that only old friends can have. This is acoustic street-corner blues at its best, performed with incredible expressiveness, ease, and joy. One gets the feeling these two are just sitting down for a friendly jam session on a Saturday afternoon, and when things get loose, their laughter flows almost as freely as the music. Guy really shines on some of these tracks, his guitar lines fast, smooth, percussive, and seemingly effortless…

This two-CD, 43-track box set is the most comprehensive retrospective of Motown's biggest female star before Diana Ross. Although her first hit, "Bye Bye Baby," presented Wells as a blues belter, she quickly settled into a sly and sassy groove. Subsequent hits like "You Beat Me to the Punch," "Two Lovers," and "My Guy" (all included here) made the most of her shy, seductive voice by teaming her with some great songs and production by Smokey Robinson. Although many of these tunes were relegated to B-sides, album tracks, or even the can (11 were previously unreleased), the material written by Motown stalwarts like Berry Gordy, Holland-Dozier-Holland, and Mickey Stevenson when Smokey was unavailable is not far below the hits in quality.

Recorded on Halloween night in 1979, this pairs up Wells and Guy in a fashion that hasn't been heard since Hoodoo Man Blues, their first, and best collaboration. Solid backing by the Philip Guy band (Buddy's brother) makes this album a rare treat.

Released in the late fall of 1981, In and Out of Love, produced by California-based R&B producer Greg Perry and the Mizell brothers (Fonce and Larry), the album was a departure for Wells as she incorporated funk elements into her sound with only "These Arms" being the obvious reference to her sixties past. The single, "Gigolo", was issued and created a buzz around the dance clubs in the U.S. The song's response was immediate, landing to number sixty-nine on the R&B chart, number two on the disco chart and number-thirteen on the club play chart. The album, however, failed to chart. Despite its relative mainstream failure, the album convinced Wells to continue her recording and performing career. She would release three more albums and several more singles on small labels until her death in 1992.