I got to see Eric Clapton "From the Cradle" show in Indianapolis- 1994. It was before I had discovered blues harp. Wondering if it was Jerry Portnoy that played that show? I know he is listed as the harmonica player on the recording. Any ideas?
Thanks for that, 1847. I've never seen video from that tour. I bought the cassette. [sic]. I enjoyed that album. Having recently taken a couple of runs in Hyde Park, I'm fascinated about what Clapton's performance meant to the folks who showed up to watch him on that day. He was returning to the old-school Muddy Waters blues in a big way, and the stage--with the exception of a background singer--was all white bluesmen. (White girl background singer, too.) For an English audience, hearing Lord Eric playing this stuff was coming fairly close to the holy grail. For an American audience, it's a slightly different experience. Portnoy, in any case, is the certifying document: somebody who shared many stages with Muddy, and who therefore signifies "real blues." It's an Anglo-American white male blues summit, with Muddy in the rear view miror, and some fine playing on all sides.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Aug 10, 2016 4:48 PM
Wow! What a weird feeling. Had no idea who he was at the time, or how influential he would be to me. I was just a kid at that show, but it changed my life. "From the Cradle" was my second blues album (Muddy's "One More Mile" box set was my first). I vividly remember the harp, but didn't realize how important these folks are/were. I remember there were videos and stills of the original blues artists projected behind the band on a big screen. Didn't know who they were, but I understood (and felt) the homage that Clapton was paying to these folks. Jimmy Vaughn opened and returned for the encore to jam "Sweet Home Chicago" with Clapton for what felt like an hour.
Not long after that show, I saw Kim Wilson with the Thunderbirds, then I played bass guitar (horrendously) with a regional blues band that played mostly Muddy Waters covers. Got to open for Duke Robillard once. All before I was able to use the internet to learn how to play and research the history. I tried for years to learn to play harp. Finally I found Gussow on YouTube and started my journey all over again. If I could turn back time.....
I don't think Jerry tours anymore. Got to meet Musselwhite a few weeks ago. Wonder what other legends are still out there playing. It's crazy how important these folks are to me now and how many people have seen them and under-appreciated what they were listening to (my younger self included).
So I guess "See Portnoy" is checked off my bucket list now. Hey, so is "Chat with Gussow" :))
Thanks, Kudzurunner for inspiring so many folks and providing this platform for harp geeks to connect and have conversations our other friends and spouses will never understand.
Last Edited by Arrick on Aug 12, 2016 12:29 PM
