I always loved Mark Wenner's harp playing with the Nighthawks. He doesn't get a lot of run as a top player but I believe he should.
Last Edited by Tom585 on Apr 22, 2017 8:00 PM
Mark Wenner is just awesome and has been at it, well, forever! He was huge back in the 70's when I was a teenager and still killing it today. I never see him mentioned here at MBH, probably because he doesn't do overblows. The Nighthawks, "Open All Night" is still a great record and "Live from the Psychadelia" would be of interest to the overblow weenies here at MBH. I kid, I kid.....
I once asked guitarist Jimmy Thackery backstage at a blues festival how long he'd been w/ Mark Wenner. He said "20 years". Yes, Wenner has been at it for a long time because my question above was asked at least 20 years ago. Great Wenner quote that i'll have to paraphrase- 'The Fabulous Thunderbirds are nice guys but never invite them to your house. They'll drink all your liquor and try to steal your women'.
Oh, friend of mine gave Wenner a really nice custom blue Green Bullet. Wenner didn't like his CMs or CRs too hot cuz he liked to turn up his Fender Bassman as loud as he could and avoid feedback. Of course this was long, before Lone Wolf and other harpcentric companies helped alleviate this and other problems. ---------- Have good day. M.A.P. .
Last Edited by MP on Apr 22, 2017 3:36 PM
The Nighthawks album "Ten Years Live" is one of my all time favorites. Moving Up in Class is one of the great rockin' blues songs ever (in my opinion).
One of the things I love about living in Baltimore is I get to see these guys a lot.They're still on the road, in a van, schlepping the equipment and Mark and Johnny, the bass player, are closing in on 70.Their drummer, Mark Stutso, who joined several years ago, is a great singer. Mark and Johnny have side bands that are also great.The thing I dig Most about Mark is how he uses the harp in the context of the band.
The only thing missing from the video version of Moving Up in Class is the cool walking bass progression that's on the album version. Coolest part of the song. (Used to play this song every gig years ago.)
I've got a stack of Nighthawk LPs, but my favorite stuff from Mark Wenner is on his first solo LP called "Nothin' But..." Great gut bucket Chi-town blues. It was on Tom Principato's label, Powerhouse, way back in the day. ---------- Ricky B http://www.bushdogblues.blogspot.com RIVER BOTTOM BLUES--crime novel for blues fans available at Amazon/B&N, iTunes, iBook THE DEVIL'S BLUES--ditto HOWLING MOUNTAIN BLUES--Ditto too, now available
Mark made a big impact on me. I was sitting on the sidewalk of the Bottom Line in NYC because I wanted to hear the Nighthawks and John Hammond (just had done and album together) and was blowing my harp. John and Mark came up to me and invited me to have pizza with them. We all blew harp on the way there and back. I had no $ to get in and they took me in with them. They really inspired me that someday I too could be on that big stage :) Class act all the way playing and person wise. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year in the Tunnel of Dreams Studio. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller