On May 12, 1952, Little Walter recorded an instrumental under his own name that the Muddy Waters band had been using to close sets with. "Juke," with its fat, amplified tone and sax-like phrases, was ...

Waters returned the favor in 1952, backing Little Walter on the paradigm-smashing instrumental “Juke,” which became a number one Billboard R&B hit.

According to blues great Bobby Rush, his mentor Little Walter’s single “Juke” was like “before Jesus” and “after Jesus” for the blues world.

Little Walter began recording for Leonard and Phil Chess' Aristocrat Records in 1947 behind Muddy Waters. Then in 1952, he was given a shot to record on harmonica as a leader.

“I’d left Louisiana because they told me I could go to Chicago, get a day job and wouldn’t have to pay to see Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson and all those guys.

Columbus Short gives blues-harmonica man Little Walter loose-trigger charm. The physically imposing Eamonn Walker brings the husky voice of Howlin' Wolf to life.

Back in the day, you weren't anyone in the blues world unless you were signed to Chess Records, the label that made stars out of a generation of rough and tumble musicians, notably Muddy Waters ...

They all hoped to sit in on a set with blues masters like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter or John Lee Hooker. “To achieve skill at anything, you have to be sort of monomaniacal about it.