Man Young
Biography
aka Johnny Young
Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1917, Young learned harmonica, mandolin and guitar from his uncle. He listened to the Mississippi Sheiks in Grace and Rolling Fork as a boy and in 1940 he moved to Chicago, joining John Lee (Sonny Boy) Williamson for six months before teaming up with Snooky Pryor, Floyd Jones and Moody Jones and playing in the open air Maxwell Street market. His Ora Nelle sides with Johnny Williams were followed by two sides for Chester Scales' Old Swingmaster label in 1948 and all he had to show for the Fifties was a session accompanying Snooky Pryor in 1955 for Vee Jay. Throughout the Fifties he performed in Chicago's clubs and bars and of course in Maxwell Street and he finally returned to the studio in 1963 for Testament.
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The sides here come from two Arhoolie sets cut in '65 and '67 and the '65 session in particular features Young at his near best. Producer Pete Welding surrounded him with the best that Chicago had to offer - two thirds of the then Muddy Waters Band of 1965: Otis Spann, SP Leary, Jimmy Cotton with Jimmy Lee Morris on bass, (imagine pulling together a lineup like that today!) and for the '67 session - Walter Horton, still in good form, Jimmy Dawkins, (then a new name), Lafayette Leake, Ernie Gatewood on bass and Lester Dorsie on drums. Johnny is on top form on guitar and his strident mandolin playing is a treat, driving the band along and there's hardly a weak track in sight. `Wild, Wild Woman,' 'Business,' 'Trainfare,' 'Moaning' and 'Stealin' are real killers. Cotton is in stunning form and Spann plays superbly.
Johnny, who died in 1974, never received the rewards or accolades his talent deserved. Perhaps this set will draw to the attention of a new generation of blues fans just how good he really was. Sixty-five minutes playing time, crystal clear sound, blues from a bygone era and totally priceless.”
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.