ncpacemaker
30 posts
Jan 05, 2011
1:43 PM
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Not a blues guy but he's got Little Walter down pretty good here. Of course nobody seems to have that smooth LW vibrato, except AG. Link follows-check him out on Orange Blossom Special as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj7vjn8hUDw
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Maybe I can't play that good but I'm a lot better than people who can't play at all.
Sincerely,
ncpacemaker
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ncpacemaker
33 posts
Jan 05, 2011
2:03 PM
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Sorry, should have used html.
Charlie McCoy Tribute To Little Walter
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Maybe I can't play that good but I'm a lot better than people who can't play at all.
Sincerely,
ncpacemaker
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bazzzzou
49 posts
Jan 05, 2011
2:33 PM
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I discovered this guy two days ago.. he is awesome!
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Buzadero
686 posts
Jan 05, 2011
2:37 PM
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<>
He's a prolific one. He can easily take up 4 inches on your cd shelf.
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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
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upstate
41 posts
Jan 05, 2011
5:13 PM
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McCoy has also done session work playing drums guitars and horns
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RyanMortos
930 posts
Jan 05, 2011
5:22 PM
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I really need to copy my posts before hitting the post message button. I keep losing posts...
Anyway, I know Diggs is well studied on and a fan of Charlie McCoy so perhaps he'll chime in. I know I worked on a bunch of his exercises, lol. More interested in jazz or blues myself but Charlie can sure play!
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~Ryan
"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window." - Stephen Wright
Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
Contact:
My youtube account
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Aussiesucker
713 posts
Jan 05, 2011
7:28 PM
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Love Charlies stuff. What I am trying to learn is his version of Blue Yodel No1 by Jimmy Rogers. I know its on an A harp & I'm nearly there. If anyone has tabs would help. Only tabs I have seen are for chroms.
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MP
1235 posts
Jan 06, 2011
12:32 AM
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-when i was in a country band in '83 i would play orange blossom special and the fastest harp in the south. these went over like gangbusters. i used to have a lot of charlie mcCoy when he was on monument records. fantastic player.
odd side note. he plays bass and trumpet simultaneously on bob dylans rainy day women # and #? whatever the numbers were...---------
MP
hibachi cook for the yakuza
doctor of semiotics
superhero emeritus
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upstate
42 posts
Jan 06, 2011
4:53 AM
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ive heard when dylan saw him playing two instruments at one time he started laughing and they had to start over
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Diggsblues
671 posts
Jan 06, 2011
5:05 AM
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Yeah I got his autograph at SPAH one year.
It's on his book all American Harp.
During Charlie's set Jelly Roll Johnson
and myself were commenting that Charlie
was using more internal vibrato as opposed to
hand vibrato.Jelly told me Charlie said the bands
are so loud now he has to. His tone was much fatter
than the typical Charlie recordings.
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Emile "Diggs" D'Amico a Legend In His Own Mind
How you doin'
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jawbone
373 posts
Jan 06, 2011
6:13 AM
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How do you play bass and trumpet at the same time??
The only way I can think of is all open strings on the bass or tumpet in a rack??!!?? and all open valves.
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If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
Last Edited by on Jan 06, 2011 6:15 AM
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barbequebob
1475 posts
Jan 06, 2011
9:45 AM
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He's the kind of Country harp, hands down. Before he introduced playing cross harp in country music due to strong blues influences, especially from Little Walter, nearly all country harp was done in 1st position. He's been around for decades. His uptempo version of the Country fiddle classic "Orange Blossom Special," alternating between a Bb and F harps has always been awesome and he's always used just tuned harps.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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joeleebush
168 posts
Jan 06, 2011
3:01 PM
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I was bumming around Nashville in 1961-1964 and ran a little with Charlie and 2 knocked out studio guitar players, Wayne Moss and Chip Young (Jerry Stembridge)
Charlie did a cut of "Just Wanta Make Love to You" (muddy's song) and he was very very good on it too. I'd like to hear that thing again, don't even know which label it was on.
This was right about the time he blew harp on Ann Margaret's song "I just don't understand".
Charlie was smart...he saw that fooling with blues music was a dead loser over the long run and switched into country music where the real money was.
Next thing I knew he was famous, rolling in the $$$$, and the boss of the riders on that Hee Haw television show.
Saw him at a harmonica convention over in Birmingham Ala. back around 1989, I think, and he was blowing strong! Did Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips" with the chromatic in one hand and the other hand playing on the electric piano.
And where is the 'great' JoeLee? You got that right...still out there hustling and scuffling for chump change gigs.
Find the dummy in that scene.
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Joe_L
963 posts
Jan 06, 2011
3:44 PM
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I've read interviews with him a long time ago, where he said he was influenced by Little Walter Jacobs.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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barbequebob
1477 posts
Jan 07, 2011
8:04 AM
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He's been on record in a number of interviews over the years saying LW was the best harp player that he ever heard, bar none. I absolutely love his playing. His "signature tune," the uptempo version of The Orange Blossom Special is what I used as a teaching standard to see if you're using too much breath force because after he alternates switching back and forth from an F to Bb harps, he's back on the F, playing 1st position, and there's a line that's repeated several times where there's a very rapid shift from blow to draw breaths and back and if you find yourself getting winded, especially after the first go around, that obviously shows thta you're using FAR TOO MUCH breath force and it's like being an NFL wide reciever who's 250 pounds overweight and can't make any and all the necessary quick cuts to avoid cornerbacks, linebackers, and safeties and then he's dead tired less than 10 yards after the catch and the excess weight is what I compare too much breath force to.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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MP
1239 posts
Jan 07, 2011
10:23 AM
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-he has two versions of OBS.
the first version isn't as fast by a long shot, but i think it is more melodic.
the second version is all hell breaking loose but in a very cool way.
love the changes with the F and Bb!
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MP
hibachi cook for the yakuza
doctor of semiotics
superhero emeritus
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HarpNinja
938 posts
Jan 07, 2011
10:48 AM
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I saw he used to sell belt buckles with his harp logo. I want one! However, they are "sold out". He is a badd mutha!
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Mike
Quicksilver Harmonicas
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ncpacemaker
49 posts
Jan 07, 2011
10:57 AM
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This is a great live version of OBS.
Charlie McCoy Orange Blossom Special
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groyster1
721 posts
Jan 11, 2011
8:27 AM
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seems to me I remember that charlie really liked the old standby harp-why is that? cant argue with phenomenal success but why would he prefer it to a mb1896 or blues harp with the wooden combs they have?
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toddlgreene
2475 posts
Jan 11, 2011
8:32 AM
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i betcha that was an OLD Old Standby-not the newer ones, which are cheap Chinese ones. BBQ Bob has talked about that before. Totally different animal.
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Todd L. Greene, Codger-in-training
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groyster1
722 posts
Jan 11, 2011
8:35 AM
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thanks todd will do a forum search and see what bob said about it
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chromaticblues
465 posts
Jan 11, 2011
9:45 AM
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Charlie McCoy and I did an interview together in Nashville about ten years ago. The Public Access channel in Nashville had a program called Harmonica Players Profile. It was a half hour show that aired once a week. That was the only time I ever saw him. He seemed like a very nice guy. A couple things stuck in my mind from that night. Fisrt at that time he had released 31 albums under his own name and couldn't remember how many he had been on for other people. The other thing was not so impressive. At that time he was playing Lee Oskars and the whole time he was playing I couldn't help but to think, my god those harps suck! They are easy to play and he was well into his sixties at the time. As I said he was a very nice man and I granted him the respect he deserved. I'm glad he wasn't 20 years yonger. Going on after him while he was in his prime would have put me in my place. I'm shure he was not trying to impress anyone. He was do them a favor by being on and I knew that, but I was at the other end of the situation. I was trying to get work so I played as impressively as possible. It actually made me play better I think because he was there. That was a lot of fun. Even though I was nervous as hell!
I tried to play Orange Blossom special years ago. I wanted to learn something fast that used two harps.
It didn't take long before I said the hell with that. Some things are better left alone.
I like his tribute to Little Walter.
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toddlgreene
2477 posts
Jan 11, 2011
9:59 AM
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chromaticblues said: "At that time he was playing Lee Oskars and the whole time he was playing I couldn't help but to think, my god those harps suck!"
No, Lee Oskars don't suck. Perhaps not your preference, but they're great OOTB harps, unless you're an overblower. A good player can make any harp sound good.
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Todd L. Greene, Codger-in-training
Last Edited by on Jan 11, 2011 10:27 AM
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Todd Parrott
323 posts
Jan 11, 2011
10:34 AM
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Charlie's been a Hohner endorsee for years. I find it odd that he would be using Lee Oskars. I know he used to use Old Standbys. Never heard about the Oskars.
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chromaticblues
470 posts
Jan 11, 2011
11:50 AM
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@Toddlgreene
That was my point. He didn't suck, but he didn't sound good. So what was not good?
@ Todd Parrot
This was about ten years ago. I know for a fact he was playing Lee Oskars. I was surprised and disappointed at the same time.
@Toddl I reserve the right to say what I want about Lee Oskars. I played them for 8 years! I know what I'm talking about!!
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toddlgreene
2479 posts
Jan 11, 2011
11:57 AM
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I didn't say you don't have the right. I've played them and others for 21 years now. The player is going to make the sound, not the harp, as long as it is responsive. Sure, there are differences in metallurgy and perhaps comb material and covers that affect the sound a bit, but it's mostly the player.
Maybe he was sick that day.
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Todd L. Greene, Codger-in-training
Last Edited by on Jan 11, 2011 12:26 PM
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