Don't Start Me Talkin: The Junior Wells Story 20 years old

Junior Wells, who died in 1998, was a superb harmonica player and singer who enjoyed a long and fruitful association with guitarist Buddy Guy, had some great solo recordings ("Hoodoo Man Blues," "Messin' with the Kid"), and was a worthy successor to Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and the other blues masters who preceded him. All of which comes across in Don't Start Me Talkin'--provided you're willing to hang in there long enough to get it. Hampered by poor continuity, too many talking heads (apparently the filmmakers failed to heed their own title), deadly dull voiceover narration, and a paucity of music, this 88-minute profile of Wells is half over before it takes off. After that, there's a lot more music, including a performance with Guy (whose partnership with Wells is memorably described by Dr, John as "Siamese twins, sideways") and a live version of "Hoodoo Man Blues."

Credits

Don't Start Me Talkin: The Junior Wells Story Cast

Name Character
Junior Wells He was 69, 63 years old when he died as Himself
Buddy Guy He was 67, now 88 years old as Himself

Don't Start Me Talkin: The Junior Wells Story Crew

Name Department
Don't Start Me Talkin: The Junior Wells Story (20 years)

  • Release day: Tuesday, March 16, 2004
  • Runtime: 88 minutes