Detroit Junior
{{short description|American singer}}
{{use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{use American English|date=February 2024}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Detroit Junior
| image = File:American_blues_pianist_Detroit_Junior.png
| alt =
| caption = Detroit Junior in 1960
| image_size =
| landscape =
| birth_name = Emery Williams Jr.
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1931|10|26}}
| birth_place = Haynes, Arkansas, U.S.
| origin = Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2005|8|9|1931|10|26}}
| death_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| genre = {{hlist|Chicago blues|electric blues}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Musician|songwriter}}
| instrument = {{hlist|Piano|vocals}}
| years_active = 1950sā2005
| label =
}}
Emery Williams Jr. (October 26, 1931 ā August 9, 2005),{{Cite web|url=http://thedeadrockstarsclub.com/2005b.html|title=The Dead Rock Stars Club 2005 July To December|website=Thedeadrockstarsclub.com|access-date=October 31, 2023}} known as Detroit Junior, was an American blues pianist, vocalist and songwriter. He is known for songs such as "So Unhappy", "Call My Job", "If I Hadn't Been High", "Ella" and "Money Tree". His songs have been covered by Koko Taylor, Albert King and other blues artists.
Career
Born in Haynes, Arkansas,{{cite news |title=Bluesman back in town for 3 concerts |url=https://www.toledoblade.com/a-e/music-theater-dance/2003/11/14/Bluesman-back-in-town-for-3-concerts/stories/200311140066 |access-date=7 October 2024 |work=The Blade |date=13 November 2003 |language=en}} Williams recorded his first single, "Money Tree", with the Bea & Baby label in 1960.{{cite book|title=The Guinness Who's Who of Blues|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1995|edition=Second|isbn=0-85112-673-1|page=95}} His first full album, Chicago Urban Blues, was released in the early 1970s on the Blues on Blues label.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/detroit-junior-mn0000203625|title=Detroit Junior Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More|website=AllMusic|access-date=October 31, 2023}} He also has recordings on Alligator, Blue Suit, The Sirens Records, and Delmark.
Williams began his career in Detroit, Michigan, backing touring musicians such as Eddie Boyd, John Lee Hooker, and Amos Milburn. Boyd brought him to Chicago in 1956, where he spent the next twelve years. In the early 1970s, Williams toured and recorded with Howlin' Wolf. After the death of Wolf in 1976, Williams returned to Chicago, where he lived and performed until his death from heart failure in 2005. He was a weekly regular at Chicago blues clubs B.L.U.E.S. and Kingston Mines.{{cite web |title=Detroit Junior |url=https://www.alligator.com/artists/Detroit-Junior/ |website=www.alligator.com |publisher=Alligator Records |access-date=7 October 2024 |language=en-US}}
Discography
=Albums=
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
| Year || Title || Record label | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Chicago Urban Blues | align="center"|Mango |
| 1995 | Turn Up the Heat | align="center"|Blue Suit |
| 1997 | Take Out the Time | align="center"|Blue Suit |
| 2003 | 8 Hands on 88 Keys - Chicago Blues Piano Masters | align="center"|The Sirens Records |
| 2004 | Live at the Toledo Museum of Art | align="center"|Blue Suit |
| 2004 | Blues on the Internet | align="center"|Delmark |
References
{{Reflist}}
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Category:American blues pianists
Category:American male pianists
Category:American blues singers
Category:Songwriters from Arkansas
Category:Singers from Arkansas
Category:Chicago blues musicians
Category:Electric blues musicians
Category:Blues musicians from Arkansas
Category:20th-century American singers
Category:Songwriters from Illinois
Category:20th-century American pianists
Category:20th-century American male singers