Going to see Phil Wiggins with the Chesapeake Sheikhs next Friday night at a small outdoor amphitheater near home. The perfect venue to meet the performers and have brief interaction after the show. Was wondering what your favorite Wiggins tunes are. Dog days of August, and Guitar and Harmonica Rag are two of my favorites, but there are probably many more I would love and haven't heard as of yet. any suggestions?
Ah, I am so jealous. I love phil, but have never seen him live. What a treat. Personally I love just about anything I have heard from him, but my favorite album is probably Richmond Blues.
Enjoy the show! Seriously what an honor as a harp playerr. Especially in the atmosphere you discribe.
Thanks, Michelle! Here's a link to a great video of Phil doing the song with tap dance accompaniment. At this show, he is joined by tap dancer Baakari Wilder, so we're likely to see him do it. Great suggestion, thanks again, Jim
Phil is just a monster player. Unbelievable volume and tone he gets un amped. Miss John "Bowling Green" Cephus playing with him. Where are you seeing him? ---------- Bluesharp- If you don't blow you suck...
He will be at the Mt. Gretna theater and playhouse in southern Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. It's a beautiful and historic playhouse, located in the wooded community of Mt. Gretna. The stage and seating are covered by an architecturally beautiful teepee shaped roof. The sides and back are open with only curtains to enclose. Great acoustics, and not a bad seat in the house. The whole place is so laid back, there's a good chance I might get to meet and talk harp with Phil. I'll try to get a picture with him and post it for you. Wish me luck!
Both Phil and John are (and sadly, were in Johns case) among the nicest fellows I've ever met. I'm sure Phil would love to say Hey to a fellow harmonica player.
Thanks friends! New videos usually send me running to my equivalent of what Adam describes as "The Woodshed" to learn and record a new riff. The first video at around 4:46 gave me a great new base rhythm riff which I tagged as the chukka chukka riff. Now I can work on making it more familiar, and enjoying all the embellished variants already starting to flow from it. It's always nice to have a bunch of recorded riffs to work on right there on my smart phone. By the way, I emailed Phil to ask if a meeting might be possible and, if so, what would suit him best. He emailed right back, and was very gracious, saying that we could hang out after the show. I'll make sure to post a picture. Dreams do come true!
Wow, What a show! I think my wife and I were two of a handful of people who knew who Phil Wiggins is. Most were older people who are patrons of the theater and attend most of the shows as such. No matter though, Phil and friends had them clapping and singing along enthusiastically. He was funny and brilliant. Bakari Wilder's tap dancing added the perfect percussion to the mix. After the show, I was able to hang with Phil for a few minutes, and he was really down to earth and humble. He asked me to keep in touch through his website email. I'm hoping to work on getting some of the venues in Harrisburg interested in bringing him to our area in the future. Till then, I've got lots of new inspiration and riffs to work on.
