Re: Re: [Harp-L] inspiration

[Michelle LeFree <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

By a coincidence, I wrote a recent post on Facebook about seeing Sonny 
Terry and Brownie McGee. The Tulagi was a famous music venue on "The 
Hill" in Boulder, Colorado. I saw a number of blues and folk acts there 
in the mid-'70s. Since it is right on topic, I'll share my experience 
here, too. I bet lots of harpers of my generation had the same 
life-altering experience seeing Sonny play his harmonicas.

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The act I remember most seeing at The Tulagi was Sonny Terry and Brownie 
McGee. Changed my life!

At the time The Tulagi was a stripped down venue. A large, narrow, 
rectangular room with the entrance at the front and a stark stage at the 
rear. Seated probably 250. Not nearly the great little venue that 
Denver's Ebbett's Field was (previous post). That night the seats were 
only half full. Since there was no "green room," the artists entered 
through the same front door, looking at the audience's backs who were 
facing the stage.

As the audience waited, a strumming of a guitar came from the rear, with 
a soft harmonica sounding in the background. Brownie's voice rang out, 
"Walk on, Walk on...," and Sonny's vocal harmony followed. Brownie lead 
strumming his guitar, hobbled by one leg that was several inches shorter 
than the other. Sonny followed with one hand on Brownie's shoulder and 
his harp in the other. By the time they reached the stage the audience 
was rapt. What ensued was an hour and half of the most beautiful music 
I'd ever heard.

I'd lived through The Beatles, the British invasion, and the beginnings 
of Rock and Roll. I loved them all. I even loved the big band music of 
my parent's day. (I played the Tuba in the orchestra and Jazz bands in 
high school.) But nothing, NOTHING had ever grabbed me right in the gut 
like Sonny and Brownie did that night. I became a life-long lover and 
student of Blues music. I wish I had taken up the harmonica way back 
then. I was a harmonica "owner," with a Hohner "Blues Harp" languishing 
in my dresser drawer, but I was stymied by the little instruction sheet 
that came with it.

Fortunately, I did take on the monumental challenge of playing the 
"short" harp well when I scuttled my engineering career, moved back to 
the mountains and "blew up my TV" back in 2000. Unfortunately (or maybe 
fortunately depending on how one looks at it) the climb is a steep one. 
But it has allowed me to dive deeper into that Blues River. I am now a 
Blues River diving duck! :-)

Michelle