Biography
On August 28, 1937, blues guitarist James Wheeler was born in Albany, Georgia. Early on, the big bands of the era left a deep mark on him, above all the sounds of Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, and his initial hero, Louis Jordan. In 1956 he followed his older brother Golden to Chicago. Golden had already taken up harmonica in the clubs and formed friendships with numerous blues players, among them Little Walter. Only after settling in Chicago did James Wheeler begin playing guitar and sitting in with local musicians. His first major opportunity arrived through guitar work with Billy Boy Arnold, which prompted the Jaguars’ formation in 1963; the group backed B.B. King, Millie Jackson, O.V. Wright, and Otis Clay. So taken was Otis Clay with Wheeler’s style that, once the Jaguars disbanded in 1972, he asked Wheeler to assemble his touring band, an ensemble that remained intact for three years. A short tour with the Impressions came next, after which Wheeler accepted a daytime job outside music and confined his playing to scattered weekend gigs over the following decade. In 1986 Otis Rush telephoned to request a weekend appearance that soon became a full-time role lasting until 1993. Recording and touring work with Mississippi Heat, Magic Slim, and Willie Kent preceded Wheeler’s long-awaited solo debut, Ready, issued in 1998 on Delmark Records. The set contained ten original songs and three covers, with brother Big Golden Wheeler on harmonica and pianist Ken Saydak rounding out the lineup. An intensive touring schedule across Europe and South America preceded his second Delmark album, Can’t Take It, released in 2000. That record presented exclusively original compositions by Wheeler, performed by the same musicians except for Ron Sorin, who replaced Big Golden on harp.
Albums
