RE: [Harp-L] Huey Lewis harp songs

["John Balding" <John.Balding@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I also heard (from a radio interview with Huey Lewis) that he honed his
chops will driving big rigs cross-country. From what I remember, he
worked construction for a while, didn't care for it, and then started
driving semi trucks on cross-country routes. He said something to the
effect of: "I had heard every top 40 song a million times and bought
every truck stop cassette tape ever sold. I started playing harmonica
while I drove to pass the time and entertain myself."

Perhaps both accounts are correct. He may have played for a while, put
it down for a time and then picked it up again. 

In my opinion, Huey's blow bend at the end of Heart of Rock and Roll
sets him apart from many pop stars who "add a little harp" to spice up a
song. Huey's abilities are only gained via long practicing and attention
to nuance. Huey adds the harp to fill a textural void: a spot where no
other instrument would have as great an impact. He has always had a
great sax player at his disposal for a "different" solo, but the harp
can just go some places other instruments can't. Imagine the solo on
Heart of Rock and Roll with a guitar or sax instead. To me, it would
have been "just another pop song". In my opinion, it was the harp solo
that make it unique and catchy. In fact, 

I can honestly say that I bought my first harp, a 12-hole Hohner Echo (I
know - but it sounded cool in the music store) because of that song. I
am an avid Blues player who was introduced to harp by my Huey Lewis
tapes and two Charley McCoy LPs my parents had stashed away in the hall
closet.

John Balding
Tallahassee, FL

-----Original Message-----
From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Guy Buxman
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2008 12:35 PM
To: airmojoken@xxxxxxxxx
Cc: Harp-L
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Huey Lewis harp songs

I'm not sure if someone has already mentioned this one, but Huey plays a
rippin' harp lead (and accompaniment) on "Heart of Rock and Roll".  It's
a
really fun song to cover and audiences dig it.  Huey honed his chops by
playing for his dinner as he hitch-hiked across Europe.  I think that
should
give him quite a bit of "street cred" as a harp player.

- GB

On Fri, Aug 22, 2008 at 5:46 AM, Ken Hildebrand
<airmojoken@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:

> One of my favorite Huey Lewis' songs is "Bad is Bad"
> that has a real nice uncomplicated harp solo.
>
> Ken H in OH
>
>
> --- On Thu, 8/21/08, gary <garybond@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > From: gary <garybond@xxxxxxx>
> > Subject: [Harp-L] Huey Lewis harp songs
> > To: "Harp-L" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > Date: Thursday, August 21, 2008, 7:16 PM
> > Are there any songs by Huey Lewis where he plays the harp?
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