Juke (song)
| Juke | |
|---|---|
| Little Walter | |
| publication | 1952 |
| length | 2:44 |
| Genre (s) | Chicago blues |
| Author (s) | Little Walter |
| Award (s) | Grammy Hall of Fame 2008, 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll |
Juke is the title of a harmonica- played instrumental piece by Little Walter that he recorded for Checker Records in 1952 . The song became a standard for all blues harmonic players. Juke was often called the “national anthem of the blues harmonica”.
History of origin
Little Walter was a member of the band of blues legend Muddy Waters , which consisted of Muddy Waters (guitar), Jimmy Rogers (guitar), Little Walter (harmonica) and Elgin Evans (real name: Elga Edmonds; drums). With this line-up, they entered a recording studio on May 12, 1952 . The tracks Juke / Can't Hold Out Much Longer were recorded in the best recording studio at the time, Universal Recording Corporation in Chicago. Studio owner Bill Putnam obviously used the slapback echo for the first time on drums and harmonica to increase the moderate tempo of the song. During the session, several are in staccato - riffing tried. This created a fluid instrumental recording with an easily recognizable central riff and some guitar contributions from Jimmy Rogers. Take 2 of a total of 4 takes is then used for mixing .
The recordings of the studio session of May 12, 1952 (with the matrix number “U….” As chronological order) prove that Juke and the later B-side were recorded before the Muddy Waters title. The studios recorded the following tracks that day on behalf of Chess Records , to which Checker Records was a subsidiary label:
- Sax Mallard & His Orchestra: I'm Yours (U7434),
- Sax Mallard & His Orchestra: Teen Town Strut! (U7435),
- Sax Mallard & His Orchestra: Left Alone (U7436);
- Little Walter & His Night Cats: Juke (U7437),
- Little Walter & His Night Cats: Can't Hold Out Much Longer (U7438);
- Muddy Waters: Please Have Mercy (U7439).
Publication and Success
The owner of the independent label Chess Records , Leonard Chess , decided to release the title under Little Walter's name. Little Walter & His Night Cats was chosen as the band name . Juke became such a big hit after its release in August 1952 as the single Juke / Can't Hold on Much Longer (Checker 758) that Walter left Muddy Waters' band during a tour in Louisiana and founded his own band in October 1952. He took over the band from Junior Wells ( The Aces ), who in turn had switched to Muddy Waters. Walter named his band Little Walter & His Jukes after his instrumental success . Total spent Juke 20 weeks in the Rhythm & Blues - charts , of which 8 weeks as a number-one hit . The success is put into perspective when you consider that Muddy Waters had a single in these charts for only 10 weeks until 1952 and never reached a first place in his career. Juke was not only the first hit for Little Walter, but was also the biggest hit for Chess Records or one of its sub-labels to date. Junior Wells later claimed that Juke had already been played by his group Three Aces . At least Walter seems to have adapted the first 12 bars from other composers.
Juke is still one of the blues harmonic standards and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008. He was also included in the list of "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll" of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Cover versions
Today the song belongs to the repertoire of many harmonica players. There are cover versions of Carey Bell (1964; see And This Is Maxwell Street ), Big Walter Horton (January 1970), Billy Branch (January 1997), Ben Harper / James Cotton (March 2008), Rod Piazza (June 2009) and other.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ According to an anecdote, every blues harp player in Chicago still has to pass his version of the school-leaving exam.
- ↑ Glen Jeanssonne / David Luhrssen, Elvis Presley: Reluctant Rebel , 2011, p. 69
- ↑ George A. White / Robert L. Campbell / Tom Kelly, March 28, 2013, The Chess Label Part 1 (1950-1952) ( Memento of the original from June 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Peter Doyle, Echo and Reverb: Fabricating Space in Popular Music Recording , 2005, p. 179
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top R&B Singles 1942-1988 , 1988, p. 435
- ↑ Tony Glover / Scott Dirks / Ward Gaines, Blues With A Feeling: The Little Walter Story , 2002, p. 75
- ^ Grammy Hall of Fame
- ↑ 500 songs that shaped rock and roll
