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Blues Harp Legends

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If you are a blues harp player and love the music your instrument creates, you should know about the harmonica legends. These harmonica greats took this simple yet beautiful folk instrument and reinvented it as the instrument that we know today. Given below is a brief sketch of some of these legends who were instrumental in the development of the wailing, calling Blues Harmonica that we love and play today.
i. Big Walter "Shakey" Horton – Along with Little Walter, Horton played a key role in defining contemporary amplified Chicago-style harmonica. No wonder he is counted among the all-time harmonica greats. Horton is known for his spacious sense of time and big tone. As he was somewhat shy, he produced a limited number of solo albums. Fine …show more content…
Howlin Wolf – He is regarded as the primal force of music spun out to its eventual conclusion. Despite there being several blues harp greats who had more lyrical insight (Robert Johnson), more technical expertise (B.B. King) and more dignity (Muddy Waters), no one could match Wolf’s ability to rock the house down single handedly to the foundation while scaring its patrons out of their wits simultaneously. Many songs of his, such as "Back Door Man", "Smokestack Lightnin'", "Spoonful" and "Killing Floor" have become the standards of blues and blues rock. vii. Little Walter – Without any doubt, Little Walter is the king of blues music in the post-war era. His innovations were absolutely startling, fresh and most importantly, ahead of his time. He introduced a completely new way to use the chromatic harp, and this, undoubtedly, led to a lot of new innovations. viii. Charlie Musselwhite - Charlie Musselwhite is one of the greatest harmonica players of all time. He played the instrument with many of the renowned musicians of his time. These include Furry Lewis, Gus Cannon and Will Shade. Working with these musicians helped him grow a fondness for rural music. At present, he is one of the busiest harmonica …show more content…
Sonnyboy Williamson I – Quite undoubtedly, he was one of the most important legends of the pre-war era. The extreme versatility and the consistent ingenuity that he had helped him win a Bluebird recording contract back in 1937. “Sugar Mama Blues", "Good Morning School Girl," and "Blue Bird Blues" are some of his most popular numbers that earned him the claim to fame. xiii. Sonny Boy Williamson II – In the true sense of the term, he was the ultimate blues legend. Throughout his career, he played with eminent artists like Robert Johnson, Eric Clapton, Robbie Robertson and Jimmy Page. He had assisted many reputed players in their musical assignments and helped create some of the most notable blues harp greats of all time. xiv. George "Harmonica" Smith (1924-1983) – Smith started to take harp lessons from a very early age and it resulted in what he became in his later life. He recorded for some of the most reputed brands like Lapel, Melker, Caddy and J&M, under the name of Little Walter Junior or Harmonica King. He had also worked with Big Mama Thornton on a number of shows. xv. Sonny Terry – Sonny Terry will always be remembered for the joyous feeling that he brought into the blues music. There are very few blues harp greats like him who had a major influence on the entire genre. He also recorded some of the finest urban blues. He played the role of a guitarist too to Brownie McGhee for a long span of

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