Paddy Wells has been playing harmonica since getting hooked on the instrument some three decades ago. With influences ranging from Sonny Boy Williamson and Paul Butterfield to William Clarke and Mitch Kashmar, he’s been described as an original and powerful player with ‘great tone and musicality’.

 

During seven years as frontman of Leeds-based Chicago blues band Poorboy, he’s appeared at most of the major blues festivals in the UK and supported the likes of Paul Jones, Mick Ralphs and Mud Morganfield. Poorboy’s recordings have been aired widely on radio stations across Europe.

 

Paddy also spent three years as a member of the long-running and highly regarded band Crosscut Saw, bringing his unique sound to their hard-driving blues. He has performed in the clubs of Chicago and Austin,  as well as the legendary Red's juke joint and world-famous Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

 

He recently spent a year  living and gigging in New Orleans, which saw him play alongside an array of blues luminaries including Jason Ricci, Big Al and the Heavyweights, Johnny Mastro, Billy Gibson, Walter 'Wolfman' Washington, Smoky Greenwell and others.

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He is also a freelance music journalist specialising in rock, country and blues. He was a regular contributor to The Blues magazine, featuring in every issue during its four-year run. His reviews, articles and interviews have been published in Classic Rock, Mojo, Planet Rock, Vintage Rock, Country Music, Offbeat Magazine and extensively across the web. Take a look at some published work here.

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Paddy is currently gigging and recording with blues & roots outfit Dust Radio . The band's current album, Problem & Remedy,  has received widespread radio play and critical acclaim:

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UK Blues Album of 2023 – GoT Radio

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'Crackles with intensity and intent’ – Blues in Britain

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‘Gritty old-school blues given a kick into the 21st century. A foot-stomping band with attitude’ – Blues Matters

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‘Primeval blues played with passion’ – Planet Rock

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‘Masters of dust-blown dystopia’ – Henry Yates (Classic Rock)

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‘One of the most exciting new outfits hitting the British blues circuit’ – At the Barrier