This is Junior Wells playing “Good Morning Schoolgirl” on his 1965 album, Hoodoo Man Blues. Junior Wells is a fantastic blues harpist, and his version of this song is just terrific. It’s very different from, say, Muddy Waters’s or Fred McDowell’s versions of the song (both in form and tone), to the point where it’s almost its own song.
The opening track, “Snatch it Back and Hold It,” sounds a lot like James Brown (it reminds a lot of “Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine”), but then it mellows down into a more lonesome-sounding “Ships on the Ocean,” before getting to the “Good Morning Schoolgirl.” Wells’s version of “Hound Dog” feels like a hybrid of Big Mama Thornton’s version and Elvis’s. For a blues album, it covers a lot of ground—-butting up against related genres on many songs.
There is a 1969 album by Little Walter called Hate to See You Go. I consider it a must-listen. Hoodoo Man Blues feels like a great companion album. I acquired it only recently, and I have been lamenting all the years that have passed without it. Very much worth the dollars, if you have them.
Sincerely,
Reverend Harris
p.s. Holy shit! I just noticed. This is Buddy Guy’s first album—-he’s the guitarist.
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