Re: [Harp-L] Re: Sonny Terry Huang's

[tom ball <havaball@xxxxxxx>]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the rememberance!  Brings back memories.

In my own case it was at the Ash Grove in LA, circa '65 or '66 when I 
first had the pleasure of seeing Brownie & Sonny live.  I was about 
14, just a white boy lost in the blues.  At that point they were 
still getting along, and their show was indeed a joy!  I was hooked 
for the same reasons you were -- and Madcat tells me he had a similar 
experience the first time he heard Sonny.  Amazing how many people 
Sonny directly influenced. <smile>

At that time, the GMs hadn't been introduced yet... I don't think 
there were any plastic comb diatonics yet, to my knowledge? <shrug> 
(Somebody correct me if I'm wrong?)  But Son was blowing standard MBs 
and making the things do wonders!

It would be instructive to know the years of introduction of the 
other main Hohner diatonics... as I recall, the Blues Harp came out 
in the mid-to-late '60s.  I don't recall seeing Special 20s or Golden 
Melodys til the '70s, but I could be wrong... and exactly when did 
Lee Oskars arrive?

In any event, a Merry Christmas back atcha (and to all Ellers.)  I'm 
off to Mammoth for a week of playing for the apres-ski-geeks, so will 
be out-of-touch til New Years... if anybody will be up in Mammoth, 
come say hi to Kenny Sultan and I.  Canyon Lodge in the afternoons, 
27th-30th.

cheers to all and Happy Holidays,
Tom Ball



> Tom,
> I first saw Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee in Platsburgh N.Y in1974. It was
> around Nov-Dec and the temperature was in the teens with ligtht snow
> falling.. We drove from Bristol,Vt and it took a couple of hours. I started
> playing  harmonica in 1971. Sonny Terry was the player I listened to most of
> all.Paul Butterfield was the other player I listened to, but Sonny's
> acoustic sound had me hooked.  We got seats six rows back from the front of
> the stage. When they started playing the energy was incredible. Sonny's
> rythem just knocked me out. His foot was tapping with every beat and
> doubling up at times when he would do those difficult timmings andh his arms
> would be flailing. The first thing I noticed he was playing was this Red
> harmonica. There was an intermission, and I got to go back stage and meet
> Sonny and Brownie. That was when Sonny showed me his Golden Melody. On the
> way back home I was as happy as I could be, meeting Sonny Terry and Brownie
> McGhee. Six months later I had a few Golden Melodys in my harp box.
>
> Merry Christmas Everybody!
>
> Mark LaVoie