THE JAZZ CHILL CORNER JEAN WELLS - SOUL ON SOUL DELUXE EDITION |  |
- JEAN WELLS - SOUL ON SOUL DELUXE EDITION
- YUKO YAMAMURA - DANCING IN THE DIALOG
- CRAIG HANDY & 2ND LINE SMITH FEATURING SPECIAL GUESTS WYNTON MARSALIS, DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER, HERLIN RILEY & OTHERS...
|
Posted: 26 Nov 2013 02:05 PM PST
Jean Wells' story is not an extraordinary one in the world of soul, although her voice certainly was. Her biggest hit 'Have A Little Mercy' from 1967 was a glorious slice of deep soul, a plea to a lover, whom she is addicted to, but who doesn't seem to notice. Her gospel-trained voice perfectly encapsulating those feelings, whilst a stark arrangement dominated by an ethereal organ and dramatic horn stabs heightens the unbearable effect this man is having on Jean's life. Yet at the time this record only reached number 25 in the R&B charts, just another bit of genius amongst many, thrown out by the black American music industry at one of its most creative and profligate periods.
Born in West Palm Beach Florida in 1942, Jean Wells was brought up in Belle Glade near the state's Lake Okeechobee. As a youngster she sang in gospel choirs, and taught herself piano. Unlike some her family didn't object to secular music and in her teens she formed a girl group with friends whilst she was at High School. With the musical desire firmly in her bones at the age of 17 she left home and headed for Philadelphia, a city that would become her musical base throughout her career. |
