Mel London was a songwriter, record producer, and record label owner. He was active in the Chicago blues and R&B scenes in the 1950s and 1960s. London is best known for his compositions for Chicago blues artists Howlin' Wolf

Howlin' Wolf

Chester Arthur Burnett , known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player....

, Muddy Waters

Muddy Waters

McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...

, Elmore James

Elmore James

Elmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and band leader. He was known as "the King of the Slide Guitar" and had a unique guitar style, noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice.-Biography:James was born Elmore Brooks in the old Richland community in...

, and Junior Wells

Junior Wells

Junior Wells , born Amos Wells Blakemore Jr., was an American Chicago blues vocalist, harmonica player, and recording artist...

 as well as being the record producer and owner of Chief Records

Chief Records

Chief Records was an independent record label that operated from 1957 to 1964. Best known for its recordings of Chicago blues artists Elmore James, Junior Wells, Magic Sam, and Earl Hooker, the label had a diverse roster and included R&B artists Lillian Offitt and Ricky Allen.Chief Records was...

 (and its Profile Records and Age Records subsidiaries).

In 1954, Mel London wrote the first of several hit songs for the blues and R&B markets. His "Poison Ivy" was recorded by Willie Mabon

Willie Mabon

Willie Mabon was an American R&B singer, songwriter and pianist.-Career:Born Willie James Mabon, and brought up in Hollywood, Memphis, Tennessee, he had become known as a singer and pianist by the time he moved to Chicago in 1942. He formed a group, the Blues Rockers, and in 1949 began recording...

 and reached #7 in the Billboard R&B chart in 1954. In 1955, three hits written by London followed: "Who Will Be Next" by Howlin' Wolf and two by Muddy Waters - "Sugar Sweet" and "Manish Boy

Mannish Boy

"Mannish Boy" is a blues standard first recorded by Muddy Waters in 1955. It is an arrangement of Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man"...

." Not content with just songwriting, in 1957 he started his own record label, Chief Records. Chief's first single, the London-penned "Man from the Island," featured London's solo outing as a lead vocalist. Subsequent Chief releases were produced (and sometimes written) by London and featured Chicago blues artists, such as Elmore James, Junior Wells, Magic Sam

Magic Sam

Samuel "Magic Sam" Gene Maghett was an American Chicago blues musician. Maghett was born in Grenada, Mississippi, United States, and learned to play the blues from listening to records by Muddy Waters and Little Walter...

, Earl Hooker

Earl Hooker

Earl Hooker was an American Chicago blues guitarist, perhaps best known for his slide guitar playing. Considered a "musician's musician", Hooker performed with blues artists such as Sonny Boy Williamson II, Junior Wells, and John Lee Hooker as well as fronting his own bands...

, and A.C. Reed

A.C. Reed

Aaron Corthen, better known as A.C. Reed was an American blues saxophonist, closely associated with the Chicago blues scene from the 1940s into the 2000s.- Biography :...

. London's "Little by Little" was a hit for Junior Wells in 1960, reaching #23 in the Billboard R&B chart. London also wrote several R&B songs that were recorded by Chief artists, including "Cut You A-Loose" by Ricky Allen

Ricky Allen

Richard A. "Ricky" Allen was an American blues singer from Chicago.He was born in Nashville, Tennessee and began his singing career as member of a church choir in his home town. He relocated to Chicago in 1960, and received a recording contract one year later at Age Records...

, which reached #20 in 1963.

Chief/Profile/Age experienced financial difficulties in the early 1960s and went out of business in 1964. Later, Mel London was associated with a number of small record labels, including All-Points, Mel/Mel-Lon, Bright Star, and Starville, but none had the impact of his earlier labels. In 1975, London died at age forty-three. During his career, he wrote (or cowrote) forty-three songs and produced about eighty singles by approximately thirty-seven artists.

Partial discography

Year	Title	Performer	Label	Cat. No.	Chart #
1954	"Poison Ivy"	Willie Mabon Willie Mabon Willie Mabon was an American R&B singer, songwriter and pianist.-Career:Born Willie James Mabon, and brought up in Hollywood, Memphis, Tennessee, he had become known as a singer and pianist by the time he moved to Chicago in 1942. He formed a group, the Blues Rockers, and in 1949 began recording...	Chess Chess Records Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....	1580	7
1955	"Who Will Be Next"	Howlin' Wolf Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett , known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player....	Chess	1593	14
1955	"Manish Boy Mannish Boy "Mannish Boy" is a blues standard first recorded by Muddy Waters in 1955. It is an arrangement of Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man"... "	Muddy Waters Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...	Chess	1602	5
1955	"Sugar Sweet"	Muddy Waters	Chess	1612	11
1957	"Man from the Island"	Mel London	Chief Chief Records Chief Records was an independent record label that operated from 1957 to 1964. Best known for its recordings of Chicago blues artists Elmore James, Junior Wells, Magic Sam, and Earl Hooker, the label had a diverse roster and included R&B artists Lillian Offitt and Ricky Allen.Chief Records was...	7000
1957	"The 12 Year Old Boy"	Elmore James Elmore James Elmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and band leader. He was known as "the King of the Slide Guitar" and had a unique guitar style, noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice.-Biography:James was born Elmore Brooks in the old Richland community in...	Chief	7001
1957	"Cry for Me"	Elmore James	Chief	7006
1960	"Will My Man Be Home Tonight"	Lillian Offitt	Chief	7012
1960	"Messin' with the Kid Messin' With The Kid "Messin' with the Kid" is a rhythm and blues-style blues song originally recorded by Junior Wells in 1960. It is credited to Chief Records owner/songwriter/producer Mel London. Considered a blues standard, it "remains Junior Well's best-known song"... "	Junior Wells Junior Wells Junior Wells , born Amos Wells Blakemore Jr., was an American Chicago blues vocalist, harmonica player, and recording artist...	Chief	7021
1960	"Little by Little"	Junior Wells	Profile	4011	23
1960	"Come on in This House"	Junior Wells	Profile	4011
1963	"Cut You A-Loose"	Ricky Allen	Age	29118	20

External links

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