THE STYLES OF HARMONICA PERFORMANCE I EMULATED

BLUES CENTRAL WAS AT THE YALE IN THE 1990'S, DOWNTOWN ON GRANVILLE IN VANCOUVER BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

I WOULD SAY"I WILL PLAY TONIGHT IN THE STYLE OF FAMOUS HARMONICISTS.

MY AMPLIFIERS WERE MARKED TO ACHIEVE THE VARIOUS "SOUNDS".

I HAVE THE BOOK OF SETUPS KEYED TO THE MARKINGS ON THE MUSICMAN R 65 AMPLIFIER I USED THEN. ( I USE A RIVERA RESEARCH TWIN COMBO NOW.)

I WAS INFLUENCED BY ALL OF THE HARMONICISTS LISTED HERE SOMETIMES EVEN UNKNOWINGLY.

• Charlie Musselwhite

• James Cotton

• John Mayall (Bluesbreakers

• Little Walter

• Mark Hummel (The Blues Survivors)

• Paul Butterfield

• Sonny Boy Williamson 

• Magic Dick

• Paul Oscher (Muddy Waters Band)

• Stevie Wonder

• Alan Wilson (Canned Heat

I WOULD STAND UP AT THE YALE AND PROCLAIM: TONIGHT I WILL PLAY IN THE STYLE OF: LITTLE WALTER, OR JAMES COTTON, OR CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE OR SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON, OR WHO I THOUGHT WAS "MUDDY WATERS" WHO WAS ACTUALLY PAUL OSCHER, OR PAUL BUTTERFIELD WHO WAS AS I WAS THE PREFERRED HARMONICIST OF BLACK MUSICIANS. 

NO ONE WANTED TO PLAY THE SET FOLLOWING MARK HUMMEL. I WAS HAPPY TO DO IT. MARK REACHED DOWN AND PULLED ME UP ONTO THE STAGE. I SAID "THAT SECOND NUMBER WAS QUITE SPECTACULAR." "COME AND SIT WITH ME AFTER YOUR SET" HE SAID, " I WILL SHOW YOU HOW TO DO IT".

AT THE END OF MY CAREER, BEFORE I WAS HIT IN THE CHEST BY MY STUPID PUSSY WHIPPED BROTHER ANDREW I WOULD STAND TO PLAY ANYWHERE AND DECLARE " I AM THE WORLD'S GREATEST HARMONICA PLAYER AND I AM GOING TO PROVE IT NOW". 

EXCEPT AT THE YALE WHERE I SAID "NOW I AM GOING TO SHOW YOU HARMONICA MUSCLE."

This is an animation of one of my 1990's harmonica compositions and performance.