Emery H. Williams Jnr., b. October 26, 1931 in Haynes, AR, d. August 9, 2005 in Chicago, IL. Blues pianist Junior became interested in music in the mid-40s. In the early 50s, as a pianist and band leader, he had a residency in a Detroit club where he backed artists such as Rosco Gordon and Amos Milburn, the latter greatly influencing his songwriting. Eddie Boyd took Junior to Chicago, where he teamed up with J.T. Brown and then later with Mac Simmons. From 1960 onwards, Junior recorded singles for many local labels, and his best-known songs were the much-covered 'Money Tree' and 'Call My Job'. In the late 60s and 70s he toured and recorded with Howlin' Wolf and besides recording albums for The Blues On Blues and Wolf labels, he was also part of Alligator Records' Living Chicago Blues series. This talented blues entertainer remained under-recorded, although he did release two studio albums for the Blue Suit label in the 90s. The 1998 offering Take Out The Time featured support from Kenny Baker (bass), Maurice John Vaughn (guitar), Mike McGhee (drums), Eddie Burns (harmonica) and B.J. Emery (trombone). He employed a similarly talented group of musicians on his debut for the Delmark Records label, 2004's Blues On The Internet. The returning Vaughn was joined by Kenny Smith (drums), Bob Stroger, Eric Schneider (saxophone) and Sonny Cohn (trumpet). Sadly, Junior died of heart failure the following year.
