Fwd: [Harp-L] Gary Smith - West Coast Tone Daddy

["Winslow Yerxa" <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

David Barrett was also a student of Gary Smith and holds him in high 
regard. He used to include Gary as a performer and clinician in his 
Masterclass when it was more like a harmonica festival than it is now.

My first acquaintance with Gary's work was at one of the San Jose 
harmonica festivals around 1990 - Al and Judy Smith lived out here 
back then, and they along with Ray Tankersley, and others (Bob 
Berthiaume, Tom Stryker, and Pete Blasberg come to mind) formed a 
sort of local SPAH-like club called HARPS (Harmonica Appreciation and 
Recognition-something-something) and put on June conventions for a 
few years. 

Hearing - and seeing - Gary led me to coin the term West Coast Tone 
Daddy. The amplified tone, the jump-ish tunes, the threads - it all 
added up to a sound and an image. Others who fit this description 
include George Smith, Rod Piazza, William Clarke, and Rick Estrin. 
Gary may not be as well known as his counterparts, but he fully 
belongs in their illustrious company.

Winslow

--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, icemanle@... wrote:

Gary Smith is one of the unsung heroes in the blues harp world - as a 
teacher at a time when there weren't many, he influenced many west 
coast players. As a player, his tone and ideas rank right up there 
with the best of them. 
 
He was on my hit list of players to bring to 2001 SPAH for wider 
recognition, but unfortunately the philosophy and direction of this 
organization changed to the point where it was not possible.
 
Last I heard, he played harmonica part time and worked by day as a 
gardener or landscaper. Perhaps Brad Kava could fill us in?
 
The Iceman
 
-----Original Message-----
From: John Kally jkally3@...

 
 A year or two later I decided I needed to learn more stuff, and so I 
asked the harp player in a local blues band for lessons. Happened to 
be Gary Smith, Bay Area legend. Every lesson was just off the top of 
his head, nothing written down, but he spent time listening to me and 
pointing out my mistakes as well as giving me clues about which 
records to listen to.
 
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--- End forwarded message ---