Week 39
Johnny Young, Chicago Blues
(Arhoolie 325)

From the late 1940s until the early 1960s, what is often referred to as the "golden age" of Chicago Blues was in full swing. Yet for every giant whose performances and recordings from the time now define the era, there were and are countless musicians that worked the same clubs, streets, and parties, yet whose names and contributions are now obscure, if not altogether lost to time.

Among these are Johnny Young. A professional musician since his early teens, he played harmonica and guitar but was particularly fond of the mandolin, an instrument not commonly associated with Chicago blues but integral to much of the regional music of the Mississippi Delta where Young was raised.

Like many of his peers, Young moved to Chicago in the 1940s, recording intermittently but without great commercial success. He was, however, a consistent presence in the clubs and along Maxwell Street, site of the open air market that served as an informal and frequently lucrative gathering place for the city's blues musicians.

Seeking to record some Northern blues for his fledgling record label Arhoolie, Chris Strachwitz tracked Young down in the mid-1960s, recording the two sessions, originally released as separate LPs, gathered here. In addition to the stomping cuts from full electric bands that comprise most of the record, there are several down-home duets between mandolin and piano.

The end result underscores the intimate and still fresh connection between these musicians, their music, and the rural origins of both. And while Young may not be as well known as Muddy or the Wolf, this is as solid and enjoyable a Chicago blues recording as any out there by the giants of the music.

Listen: Johnny Young- "Moaning and Groaning"
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