Charlie Musselwhite's name doesn't come up alot around here. When I hear his playing, I immediately think of ALL the descriptions that are listed on Adam's list of "What is a Blues Harmonica Player". His tone and phrasing are excellent. Not the best singer, but that's not the point.
I'm not a huge blues harp historian guru. I don't have an extensive selection of blues harp albums, so I know there are literally hundreds of great harp songs I have yet to hear. Last night I found a Musselwhite cover of "Black Magic Woman" by Carlos Santana. Obviously it wasn't note for note Santana's playing transcribed to a harp, but it was soulful, commanding and kept true to the original song's feel.
I have always liked Musselwhites playing, Christo Redempto became one of my alltime favorite instrumentals the moment I heard it, and I am quickly becoming a bigger fan the more I listen to his other works.
Any other Musselwhite fans out here? What's your favorite song of his?
Charlie lost his mum and his dad in the space of 2 days a couple of years ago. His very active mum was murdered by a man who broke into her house and his dad died in hospital. He really knows and plays the 'blues'
I've learned and still am learning a great deal about blues harp by just listening to his records.
It's hard for me to pick a favorite song.
From what I understand he was one of "those" guys who were playing actively in the Chicago scene like Paul Butterfield. In fact they have always been considered contemporary peers and I love both their playing by the way.
Charlie claims that he never played with a competitive mindset and that's the reason why he's good. He said he started because it was a fun way to spend time and goof off with some pretty cool people. He says he got good because of how much he just loves playing.
It's easy to see it in his playing too when you watch him live. There's something very pure about the way he plays.
I have a number of Charlie Musselwhite albums. One of my favorites is "The Harmonica According to Charlie Musselwhite". There's some really great harp tunes on it. The nice thing is, there is also a transcription book available for this album. In it, all the songs are fully tabbed out. (available on Amazon) You can learn to play just like Charlie!
Last Edited by on Apr 10, 2009 8:10 AM
Yea I love Charlie Musselwhite, Been playing The Blues Overtook Me for Years. Ging to see Him with Paul Rishell & Annie Raines opening for him on Easter sunday Night!! Can't wait
I found Charlie's music just before Delta Hardware came out. I really liked his tone and style because to me, he phrases differently and plays his harps with more of a 'guitar' mentality in some of his leads and sounds, compared to many other harp players that tend to play their harps like harps, or try to get horn sounds. I've got a lot of catching up to do on discs in his back catalogue, but he's a strong harp influence for me. Met him briefly @ The Triple Door in '07 when he recorded the Rough Dried live cd.
His first album, "Stand Back!" is one of my favorite albums of all times! I listen to it constantly. He also plays harp on one of my other all time favorite albums Tom Waits' "Mule Variations".
Look up "In your darkest hour" on youtube, there's a great video of him playing with his daughter and another one of him talking about playing with Muddy.
I thought I'd dig out some Musselwhite music in light of starting this thread and found something interesting: The only CD I have of his music besides the Blues Masters CD with Christo Redempto is the Black Snake Moan Soundtrack, and I also have the movie. The extras on the DVD show Charlie playing harp for the score, and you can hear a harp in several of the songs on the Soundtrack, but unless I speed read right over it, they don't mention him in the liner notes of it.
Charlie is great--I couldn't think of a favorite, cuz I love pretty much everything he does--but here is a favorite quote from him that I love ;
"Follow your heart. Play the music. Everybody has a song in them. Find your tone. Find your phrasing. You can do that by listening to other people but, in the end, you ought to have your own style, which you’ll have if you follow your heart. I only know one tune, and I play it faster or slower, or I change the key, but it’s just the one tune I’ve ever played in my life. It’s all I know. "
Love Charlie Musselwhite. One of my favorite times seeing him was at the old Palamino club in North Hollywood, Calif. We were sitting about five feet away from them and they were just KILLING it!! One of my many favorite tracks is .38 Special on his Signature CD. A beautiful example of 1st position playing. He's a master of positions.
One of my favorite players too- all his stuff is excellent, and in my opinion he gets better as he goes on, and I'm enjoying his latest album Mississippi hardware. Its goes a bit more towards rock than blues but is still awesome. ---------- "Without music, life would be a mistake" -Nietzsche
I had a "Louisiana Fog" 8-track in rotation with 4-5 other tapes on a cross country trip. Drove me nuts, especially 'Big Legged Woman'. He's only recently earned my respect.
Shows me what happens if you stick with it for over 50 years.
I really love "Charlie's Old Highway 59 Blues" which I have on the Greasy Kid Stuff album (a great album with Rick Estrin, James Harmon and others on it along with Charlie) After the Hummel Blow Out Show in Seattle a month or so ago, I was able to talk to Charlie for a bit and told him how much I liked that song. As good as that show was with Aki Kumar, Jason Ricci and Mark Hummel playing harp too, for my money, I enjoyed Charlie's playing (and singing) the most.
"“It’s always there for you and it’ll get you through the good times with ease and the bad times, too, with grace." What a great way to put it. ---------- Phil Pennington
I don't know, I think Charlie's singing is very good. At least when you compare him to Kim Wilson and Rick Estrin, who to me, lack in the vocal department. To me they just don't have a bluesy voice, where I think Charlie does.
I actually dig his country blues guitar playing even more than his harp playing. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Charlie used to be bad to drink liquor and that's a severe understatement. A lot of liquor. Then one day, he just quit. His playing didn't change much. ---------- For every moment of triumph, every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled. HST
One thing about his playing did change when he dried out: It became more consistent. When he was drinking his playing could be amazingly good or embarrassingly bad. haven't heard anything bad from him in years now. =========== Winslow
It may not be obvious from the vids I've posted here, but Musselwhite is my second most important influence as a harp player. In the seventies I got an album he did called "Lousiana Fog" (featuring a young Robben Ford on some tracks) that was raw, alive and crammed with genius level harp playing. What he did on tunes like "Just a Little Bit" and "Taking Care of Business" and the title track still leave me speechless forty years later. As with the first two Butterfield Band discs, that was a record I went to school on, playing it constantly, daily, playing along with, stealing what I could from Charlie's arsenal of licks. I literally know every riff in my head, if not in my own playing. Today I play it and it still humbles me. I interviewed Charlie for the San Diego Reader back in the day,when he was still drinking, and to tell you the truth he was incoherent for much of the interview. Even so, he performed wonderfully most of the night, a flow of ideas and emotions that demonstrates the way it's supposed to be done. Charlie is one of the Untouchables. ---------- Ted Burke tburke4@san.rr.com
Last Edited by ted burke on Mar 20, 2016 4:54 PM
