Joseph Valery, b. 23 September 1934, Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA, d. 22 April 1990. Brought up in Tallulah, Louisiana, Blue moved to Detroit in 1951, obtaining work in the car plants. He was drafted into the army in 1954 and served two and a half years in Korea. On his return, having always been attentive to the blues, Joe moved into the music business. He had many singles released on a variety of labels but made his first real impression when ‘Dirty Work Going On’ was released on Chess Records in 1966. Subsequently, he had albums issued on the Jewel and Space labels before his final two albums appeared on Evejim. ‘Dirty Work Going On’ was particularly well received. Often judged, unfairly, to be a B.B. King imitator, Joe Blue stuck more closely to the basics than did his model, and many felt that he pointed to the way King should have gone. Throughout his career on record he made a habit of re-recording certain numbers, as if convinced that he could always improve them. He toured constantly, until just days before his death from cancer.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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Joseph Valery, b. 23 September 1934, Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA, d. 22 April 1990. Brought up in Tallulah, Louisiana, Blue moved to Detroit in 1951, obtaining work in the car plants. He was drafted into the army in 1954 and served two and a half years in Korea. On his return, having always been attentive to the blues, Joe moved into the music business. He had many singles released on a variety of labels but made his first real impression when ‘Dirty Work Going On’ was released on Chess Records in 1966. Subsequently, he had albums issued on the Jewel and Space labels before his final two albums appeared on Evejim. ‘Dirty Work Going On’ was particularly well received. Often judged, unfairly, to be a B.B. King imitator, Joe Blue stuck more closely to the basics than did his model, and many felt that he pointed to the way King should have gone. Throughout his career on record he made a habit of re-recording certain numbers, as if convinced that he could always improve them. He toured constantly, until just days before his death from cancer.