[Harp-L] Hard rockin' blues harp

[Rooty Baegga <rootybaegga@xxxxxxxxx>]

http://keystoneonline.com/story.asp?Art_id=1303

Hard rockin' blues harp

By Rebecca Moulder, A&E Reporter, The Keystone

KUTZTOWN?It was just after 8 p.m. when blues legend Charlie Musselwhite 
took the stage. The crowd of over 500 sat before the harmonica playing 
prodigy in the darkened Schaeffer Auditorium, as he entertained the 
audience with a show dedicated to the heart and soul of rock ?n? roll.

The April 14 show, sponsored by the Reading Eagle Company and part of KU?s 
Performing Artists series, drew students and aging baby-boomers from both 
Berks and Lehigh counties.

With slicked-backed hair and a leather jacket, 61-year-old Musselwhite is a 
dead-ringer for Johnny Cash, the Man in Black himself. Originally from the 
hill country of Mississippi, Musselwhite moved to Memphis, Tennessee as a 
teenager, where he often hung out at clubs frequented by Elvis Presley, 
Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Burnette and Slim Rhodes. Eager to join the ranks 
of his idols and satisfy his love for music, Musselwhite spent much of his 
youth learning to play guitar and of course, the infamous blues harp.

After moving to Chicago in search of a better life than his previous 
hard-drinking adolescence, Musselwhite discovered the city?s South Side, 
which proved to be an even more detestable place to live. Young Charlie did 
have one advantage, however. Living in close-quarters with other rock ?n? 
roll legends provided him with the opportunity to study and play with some 
of the biggest names in music at the time. Taking advice and lessons from 
Big Joe Williams, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Howlin? Wolf helped him 
quench his thirst for the blues and eventually helped him to develop his 
own style.

Today, Musselwhite tours the country with his band: Chris Andersen on 
guitar, Randy Bermudes on bass and June Core on drums. Musselwhite has been 
with Bermudes and Core for the last five years but Andersen, a Buddy Holly 
look-alike from Norway, didn?t join the band until this past January. 
Despite having only been together for a few months, Musselwhite kept good 
harmony with the group and had the audience tapping and clapping throughout 
the performance.

While Musselwhite blared his harmonica into the microphone, Andersen showed 
off his skills with a few minutes of improvisation in almost every song. 
When he was finished, the spotlight would again turn to the aging lead 
singer who finished each song with all the energy of his younger counterparts.

With music blaring and stage lights to fit the mood, Schaeffer Auditorium 
could have almost passed for the famous House of Blues that night.

After starting with a couple of slow blues ballads, Musselwhite entertained 
the audience with several fast-paced honky tonk classics, alternating 
between singing real life lyrics about living in the Deep South and playing 
improv harmonica with plenty of soul. The favorite song of the night ?Lots 
of Poppa? was well received after which he asked the crowd ?Is everything 
kinda lean and ruby do??

Following several more songs about life, love and the infamous Highway 51, 
Musselwhite ended the show with an encore presentation of a ballad from his 
original 1966 album. Afterwards, the singer, songwriter, musician and six 
time Grammy nominee met a long line of fans in the lobby for a CD signing.

Musselwhite has an impressive track record in terms of albums. Since the 
late 1960s he has released a new album almost yearly, beginning with his 
debut record, Stand Back!, all the way up to the 2004 release of his 
self-titled CD, a collection of his greatest hits.

When talking about his style, Musselwhite tries to experiment beyond the 
conventional bounds of blues music but never ventures far from his start. 
As he states in his bio, he?s simply interested in ?music from the heart.?

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Rooty Baegga

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