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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! > How Many Play Harmonica for a Living?
How Many Play Harmonica for a Living?
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wolfkristiansen
428 posts
May 03, 2019
2:25 PM
How many forum members play blues harmonica for a living? Me? Not now, never in the past. I've been playing harmonica on stage for 44 years and still do. Sometimes for pay, most times not. Like my blues heroes, I'll play till I die.

A long time ago (no kids, no mortgage) I played in a four-piece blues band for five years.

We loved blues and stayed together the whole five years, though it was hard. We lived in "the band house". We gigged in bars/clubs/halls/music festivals; wherever we could find work. If we were honest, we had to admit our music did not support us. Off and on, we had day jobs-- taxi driver, postman, waiter. One of us lived off his girlfriend, a stripper.

Today, I got to thinking about this forum and its members. Are any of you making a living playing blues harmonica? I can think of six, perhaps seven on this forum-- kudzurunner (he cheats with supplements from his day job at Ole Miss!), jbone, mooncat, roly platt, BBQ Bob, PT Gazelle, maybe Cristal Lecter. If I missed anyone, my apologies. Big Nancy would have been on the list but passed away in 2016.

So... does anybody else (in the forum, not in the big world outside) make a living playing harmonica? I'm curious.

Cheers,
wolf kristiansen

p.s. To make a living as a blues harmonica player, it helps to be able to:
1. Sing like a bird
2. Write your own songs
3. Improvise instead of regurgitating
4. Record a CD or two
5. Have a flair for self-promotion
6. Play well
7. Did I mention play well?

It also helps to be young and good looking; probably too late for most of us.
About point 4-- Jim Byrnes, from my neck of the woods, said in a radio interview, "I made three albums. They didn't sell well, but they make great calling cards when you're looking for a gig". (*calling cards-- business cards)
wk
garry
763 posts
May 03, 2019
3:18 PM
I'm livin' large on the maybe $200 I've made playing over the last 15 years.

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jbone
2911 posts
May 03, 2019
6:30 PM
Long time player. Not as long a time decent player. Worked in bands and duos for about 25 years. Always had a day job. Good thing or I would have starved!

That said, Wolf, since retirement my wife and I have toured the US and played every place we could get in. No, it's not sole income, in fact last year we took an apartment in Tulsa, and part of what we saved up and bought a travel trailer was gig money. I also worked a lot of temp gigs around town as well. We apparently have hit all 7 of your points above. While we are not young and good looking necessarily, we do know how to sell our product pretty well. Our thinking is, if people who run joints cop that age attitude they are the ones who miss out. We always look good, polished boots, nice jeans and shirts, a cool hat. Always go forward. There have been plenty of managers/owners who have given us a chance and had us come back several times.

Good topic!
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Music and travel destroy prejudice.

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DevonTom
309 posts
May 03, 2019
9:07 PM
Hi all, I have playing harp for 35 years but only in the last ten years have I been able to pay bills, car payments etc by my music alone. Constantly impressed by the amount of amazing players there are from all over the world, keeps me learning , same with guitar
Raven
158 posts
May 04, 2019
6:48 AM
You mean you can actually make money playing? Played at a street festival with four other guys one time and we put out the busking stainless steel bed pan. When all was done we collected $15...split 5 ways...go ahead, do the math. Anyway, it's $3 I didn't have before.
DevonTom
310 posts
May 04, 2019
8:44 AM
Full disclosure, I sing and play guitar as well, so it's not just making my money by just playing harp.
dougharps
1948 posts
May 04, 2019
3:46 PM
I think it would be very rare to be doing OK playing as a harp side man as your main thing. Most harp players sing as well as play, and the singing is what sustains them in bands.

There are "star" harp players in blues/rock/jazz/country music that might make good income for a while, but then popularity fades and other income may be needed. There are a few steady gigging pros that work their asses off and seem to do OK.

^^^^^^^^^
I know quite a few full time musicians, but most not only play their instrument to earn their living, but also work in music stores, teach music, build or repair instruments, or repair amps to supplement their income. Some have studios and produce other musicians' recordings. Some run sound for other bands. Many do solo, duo, and band gigs, sometimes in several configurations, in order to keep gigging. The relatively successful squeak by financially.

I know one guitar player/singer who gigged so consistently that he qualified for a bank loan on a house. ONE player out of many...

Some musicians I know DID make a living of sorts for a while just playing their instrument and singing before later needing to add teaching lessons, etc.

Some now get Social Security plus gig money and just get by.

To survive as a musician a number of income streams are necessary. Many working musicians I know have other non-music full or part time jobs. Most both sing and play an instrument or several different instruments. Many are married to someone with a day job and family benefits.

Among harmonica players I have encountered, quite a few run workshops or teach at workshops as another income source. Some do studio work on other players' recordings. Some play other instruments in bands or sing, without using harp all the time. The harp players I have known locally have had day jobs with some flexibility for time off. They often can and do play other instruments.

I believe it is very rare for a harmonica player to only play harp and make a living at it with no other income source. Those few that do hustle all the time, gigging constantly.

I always had a day job, before retirement. I felt fortunate to have been able to buy all my harps and gear with gig money from playing and still have a little left to pay taxes on at the end of the year. I did not have to spend money from my day job on harp playing or bands. Playing harp (and later adding singing) supported itself as a pastime, but it could not have supported me and my family.
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Doug S.

Last Edited by dougharps on May 04, 2019 11:25 PM
kham
164 posts
May 04, 2019
7:16 PM
I average $70/hour at rural farmers markets. Just me playing and singing with harmonica. I am usually slinging the vegetables I grow at the market stand.
When I do play i think I do that well because it is out of the ordinary to hear someone just play and sing harmonica. Its also more respected then in the city. There is always a plethora of guitar players singing throughout any major city USA or Canada and it often becomes something you just walk by.
Hats off to those who can pull it off. I feel the same about farmers that can make a living.
jbone
2912 posts
May 04, 2019
7:30 PM
We have done well as a duo, wife on guitar me on harp, both singing. She is recuperating from a fall at a beach about 6 weeks ago, vertebra fracture. Playing a bit at home here and building up to do some gigs hopefully this summer. Not sure where yet.

We both worked for years at day jobs. That gave us the capital to get our instruments and gear together before we retired. If I need to I can pick up temp work here or there to supplement income but SS and gig $$ is what we want to live on. Labor is beginning to suck at age 64!
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Music and travel destroy prejudice.

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Sarge
720 posts
May 04, 2019
7:54 PM
I made my living (a poor living it was) playing harp and bass guitar in a rock and roll band during the mid 60's. Actually more bass than harp. I remember it now as a fun time when actually it wasn't fun at all.
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Wisdom does not always come with old age. Sometimes old age arrives alone.
SuperBee
5938 posts
May 05, 2019
5:13 AM
Certainly not me, Wolf.

Between gigs and repairs I probably make $3000 in a good year.

I could maybe make more from harp repair but I deliberately work at keeping it quiet-ish, and keep my price low.

I’d like to do more gigs
groyster1
3358 posts
May 05, 2019
6:14 AM
I would guess that the percentage of people making a living playing harp is very low
GamblersHand
700 posts
May 05, 2019
11:21 AM
Back in the 90s for a while I was doing 80/gigs per year and after expenses making around 25% of my income via gigs.

I sang a bit as the 2nd frontman, though both harp and voice were pretty mediocre back then.
snowman
446 posts
May 05, 2019
1:41 PM
In a small ski town\
Trio 80-83 great 3 part harmony keyboard guy played sax as well-so we had drums guitar harp n sax

Interruption drugs n alcohol 84 88

Single with rack a lot since 89 to present--every weekend for the most part-sometimes more
play in blues band 'strictly harp as well last 3 years--thats a blast

play guitar sing n harp in band format 6-8 times a year whenever I can
all for pay

don't like the word pro that just means u get paid---doesn't mean yr any good
If I was good, I suppose I'd be somewhere by now
Tuckster
1704 posts
May 05, 2019
10:12 PM
I never have,but a good friend has been trying to make a living at it. He's been having a tough time and had to take a day job,too. It's a shame because he's very talented player as well as a good singer and song writer.
I've talked to some very well known harp players who have wives with good jobs-that's how they make a living. Behind every successful harp player is a wife with a good job(with a few exceptions,of course).
John M G
306 posts
May 05, 2019
10:28 PM
Well it's keeping me alive!
Bilzharp
183 posts
May 06, 2019
8:55 AM
In the mid 80's, when I was living in Nashville, I quit my day job and traveled some with a gospel artist, tried doing some studio work (mostly demos), and played some around town with an acoustic trio. Also played saxophone, a little guitar and harmony vocals. Affectionately referred to as "the year of famine". After the traveling dried up, I realized I could still do most of my music playing in the after work hours and my former employer graciously hired me back. Playing music full time required more talent and hustle than I had.
Georgia Blues
262 posts
May 06, 2019
6:29 PM
This is all very interesting. As someone who spent most of my creative life as a freelancer in the visual arts I get all the uncertainty and the passion it takes to make ANYTHING good happen financially in the gig economy. In music I recently spent about great 8 years with a group of friends in a blues band in Athens Georgia. We played out about once a month for that time and only one of us was actually a pro. I think the odds on making it in any creative art are about like playing ball in the major leagues. There is so much talent out there and the odds are so long you have to respect everyone who tries to make a contribution to their art form. Hats off to one and all!

Last Edited by Georgia Blues on May 06, 2019 6:30 PM
indigo
561 posts
May 06, 2019
9:43 PM
The Bands i've been in(years ago) we were happy if the fee at least covered our Bar tab.
jbone
2914 posts
May 07, 2019
5:19 AM
@indigo- Since my true music journey never started until after I sobered up, the bar tab thing would not have worked for me.

I cleaned up in '87 but it was the mid 90's before I had learned enough to actually work on stage. In 2000 I was single and casually employed daily. I had co-founded a band or two and formed a duo with a guy. I was in the network in that area and we hosted jams and played places often. I was working with 2 bands and a duo at one point and bringing guys together t host open mics 2 night a week sometimes. I was tapped several times to sub as side or front man in a few bands during that year and I was busy with all that and hanging out at open mics, probably 4 or 5 nights a week. I'd been invited to do a tour with some guys in Louisiana and turned it down much to my regret these days. Point being I was very busy with music and I estimate I made around $10k that year from music. My best efforts would have starved me to death and the day work and music $$ was not enough to avoid a foreclosure nor keep health or life insurance on myself. Some weeks I ate a lot of grits and Ramen.


I never had a gal at home cheering me on and bringing home the bacon while I was out playing. I did both, and ended up single anyway.


Currently and for many years now, my current wife has been my partner in life and music. We both worked every day and practiced a lot of nights as a duo, and it has paid off in more ways than one. Extra cash after retirement is nice! But the opportunity to connect with people- in joints, restaurants, farmers markets etc., has been a great plate of soul food as well.

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Music and travel destroy prejudice.

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