[Harp-L] Blues And C&W

[Aeskow@xxxxxxx]

"Country music contains lots of harmonica but who can name really prominent  
C&W harp players in the same sense as blues harp players."
 
Aside from the obvious--Charley McCoy--I'd name Roger Crabtree, a wonderful  
player who was an integral part of Waylon Jennings' band, and Clint Black, who 
 grew up playing Johnny Winter-style blues and can acquit himself brilliantly 
in  several genres, including C&W, on the diatonic.
 
And in reference to a recent series of threads, it's important to point out  
that the black influence--specifically, the African one--on country music and  
bluegrass can hardly be overstated; the banjo evolved directly from African  
stringed instruments, and the "clawhammer" style of picking resulted from the  
interplay of black and white musicians in the South; similarly, the white  
influence on "jazz"--a term detested by black musicians (including Duke  
Ellington) for many years--was a marked one.  Irish-American and  Italian-American 
players, especially, left a strong imprint on New Orleans  jazz.  Thankfully, in 
America, the cross-pollination of black and white  musics created a host of 
mulatto styles that have enriched the culture of the  world; it's impossible to 
completely untangle the multicolored threads...
 
Peace and Respect,
Johnny T