[Harp-L] How I started harmonica...

[B Boggs <ceudoazul@xxxxxxxxx>]

Circa 1971... I am buying vinyl record albums at Arlan's Department store (Bloodrock DOA ... "I remember, we were flying alone, and hit something in the air... DUN-DUN-DUN-DUN, etc.") and got to know Ed Legum who was an older guy ( in his 20's) that worked in the record dept. He was into Blues and always encouraging me to check out some recordings. I bought Muddy Waters " Sail On" on CHESS, and Ed with great passion said,"Put this on late at night, ***4:20**, and have your girlfriend , then listen to this..."
 The harmonica got to me and I fell for this music that was heavier then all the  acid rock in it's power.
 Around the same time, a friend's brother, Craig Michael (since deceased), played harp walking around with a WWI army helmet and wire frames. He was a year younger then me and I thought "if he can do that, I can".
 I started playing and finally started to bend notes. I don't know why I persisted.
 My revelation was when a guitarist told me I was in the "wrong key" when I was jamming to a recording. I always wondered why I could sometimes play along and other times it was dissonant.
 I didn't get much encouragement from friends who naturally asked me to, "put that thing away".
 In '79, at an Arica 40-day training, I accompanied a Muddy Waters recording at a talent show for our group and played amplified for the first time over the PA at Seabury  Hall. People were very supportive and I was inspired to practice more.
Around 1980, I was invited to join a garage band (Xanthus, later,Blue Diamond. Lo and behold, we stared getting gigs on the military circuit- first at Schofield Barracks, then  Pearl Harbor EM club, Barbers Point, Kaneohe, Ft. Shafter, etc. (Xanthus and Blue Diamond). I worked in a Natural Foods Store and did not want to sing AC/DC with lyrics I couldn't live so I stayed on five songs doing some vocals and playing blues harp- "New York City Blues" Yardbirds, "Train, Train", Blackfoot, a blues original that I'd make up lyrics for every gig, etc.. We played at military clubs and some clubs in Honolulu area and I decided that the rock life was not for me. It was very interesting.
 I rarely met other harp players and did not seek out instruction. My attitude was that I had to learn on my own. 
 Years of standing in at gigs wherever I was visiting- Aspen, Hermosa Beach with Smokestack Lightning, several times with Bobby Ingram Blues Band in Kona and on Maui- I was fortunate so many bands would let me stand in.   
 I wrote Charlie Musselwhite in '73 and he wrote back a year later saying he'd moved and misplaced my letter. He asked if gigs where available on Oahu, I never wrote back. I saw him in Hilo about 1989 and he remembered the letter. A classic "What if?".
More recently, 3 years in white2blue (defunct), two recordings with them and lots of stand ins and then I discover Harp-L, Dennis Oellig aka MrMicrophone (tonemaster and Valco guru), Sonny Jr. (love that 410), Allen Holmes and the list goes on (Steve is the Thor of big bottomed mics at Thunderharpmics.com).
 And now I have to start over with tongue blocking? (Allen Holmes and Dennis Gruenling are very persuasive...)
 Thanks for all the help and comraderie on this list!
 Brian
 

			
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