Mighty Joe Young (September 23, 1927 - March 24, 1999) was an American Chicago blues guitarist.

Joseph Young was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, but was raised in Milwaukee. He was an amateur boxer in the 1940s, but he later recalled that "It was nothing to write home about. I decided that music was the best thing to do." He began his music career in the early 1950s, singing on the Milwaukee nightclub circuit. In 1955, he returned to Louisiana to make his recording debut, for Jiffy Records.

Young worked as a sidemen in Chicago, starting in the 1950s. He was occasionally a sideman with Otis Rush in the 1960s, playing on Rush's album Cold Day in Hell. He played on Magic Sam's albums West Side Soul and Black Magic and also worked with Billy Boy Arnold, Jimmy Rogers, and Willie Dixon.

Young's album Blues with a Touch of Soul was released by Delmark Records in 1971.

His song "Turning Point" was used in the feature film Thief (1981), directed by Michael Mann.

Young died of pneumonia at the age of 71, which developed after he underwent spinal surgery meant to relieve numbness in his fingers that prevented him from playing the guitar.

Discography

• Blues with a Touch of Soul (Delmark), 1971
• Legacy of the Blues, vol. 4 (Sonet), 1972
• Chicken Heads (Ovation), 1974
• Mighty Joe Young (Ovation), 1976
• Bluesy Josephine (Black and Blue), 1976
• Love Gone (Ovation), 1978
• Live at the Wise Fools Pub (Aim Trading Group), 1978
• Mighty Man (Blind Pig), 1997

[ Source: Wikipedia ]