[Harp-L] A few non-blues big hits featuring harmonica

["Winslow Yerxa" <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "John Balding"
<John.Balding@...> wrote:

<snip>

>I would be willing to bet that Blues recordings where the harmonica
>is the featured or prominent instrument have outsold ALL other 
>genres where the harmonica is the featured or prominently-displayed
>instrument. 

<further snip>

I take it that "Willing to bet" means you believe it but can't back up
your belief with numbers.

I don't have the numbers, either, but here's why I doubt that your
belief agrees with fact.

1) Blues is and always has been a tiny fraction of the oversall sales
of recorded music. Juke was a huge hit on the rhythm & blues charts
but topped out at something like No. 30 on the pop charts - an
extremely rare instance of a blues record crossing over.

2) A number of records featuring non-blues harmonica have been solid,
and sometimes huge, hits in the overall market over the last 50-ish
years (leaving aside Dylan, Alanis, and various other wheezers who
have also sold a lot of records):

Peg O' My Heart - Harmonicats multi-million selling record (1947)

Ruby - Richard Hayman (1953) million-seller

Moon River - Henry Mancini movie theme from Breakfast at Tiffany's,
George Fields on harmonica (1961)

Fingertips - Stevie Wonder (1963)

Good Vibrations - Beach Boys, w/Tommy Morgan (1966)

I Was Made to Love Her - Stevie Wonder (1967)

Fool on the Hill, Beatles, uncredited bass harmonica, poss. Tommy
Reilly, (1967)

Groovin' - Young Rascals (1967)

For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder (1968)

Orange Blossom Special (live version at Folsom Prison) Johnny Cash (1968)

Midnight Cowboy - John Barry movie theme w/Toots Thielemans (1969)

Rainy Days and Mondays - Carpenters w/Tommy Morgan (1971)

Isn't She Lovely - Stevie Wonder (1976)

Leave a Tender Moment Alone - Billy Joel w/Toots Thielemans (1983)

I Feel For You - Chakha Khan, w/Stevie (1984)

I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues - Elton John, w/Stevie
Wonder, harmonica (1983)

Too Late for Goodbyes - Julian Lennon w/Toots Thielemans, (1984-ish)

There's plenty more to dig out if anyone has the time.

Set against that are non-blues records that feature blues-influenced
harmonica by artists including Blues Traveler, Willie Nelson, J.
Geils, Culture Club, McCartney/Jackson, Jimmy Buffett, Led Zeppelin,
Dean Martin (anyone remember "Houston"?)etc.

So, which flavor of pop records have sold more, non-blues influenced,
or blues-influenced?

I don't think there's a slam-dunk answer. It's an interesting
question, but sales figures would have to to be located and tallied up
for the harmonica-including records that could be identified, then
some judgment calls made about what could be considered
blues-influenced - which is another question that blues fanatics are
entirely too eager to claim even though history shows that the answer
is far from clear.

Winslow