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For much of the 1970s and '80s, guitarist Mighty Joe Young "owned" Chicago's cozy Wise Fools Pub -- at least musically speaking, he was the club's top draw. Wise Fools Pub had a long and intriguing history that has played out in three acts. It started when it opened in 1968 and it quickly became one of the North Side's most popular blues clubs, particularly once David Ungeleider took over in 1972 and invited blues legends from South Side clubs, including Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Jimmy Dawkins. George Thorogood made his first Chicago appearance at Wise Fools Pub, and Otis Rush and Mighty Joe Young both recorded live albums here. This initial iteration of Wise Fool's Pub lasted until 1993 when Ungeleider sold the club and it started booking local rock and cover bands.

"Frankly, I feel Mighty Joe Young is one of the most talented guitar players in the country. I used Joe on many sessions because of his ability to interpret the particular feeling of a song. He has a traditional sound which is he able to mix with a very modern style and he uses this combination to emphasize a mood.

I know that Might Joe Young always made his second home at the Wise Fools Pub, on one of Chicago's best known music spots. In fact, people from all over the world came to the Wise Fools Pub looking for blues and that club definitely earned its fine reputation for good music."
-Willie Dixon

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Press Quotes

The 50 year-old singer and guitarist is in good form, sweating with passionate purpose, as pianist Lafayette Leake and the others keep up with him in pleasing the exhuberent crowd.

     —Downbeat