[Harp-L] Willie "Big Eyes" Smith & the Cruncher



I was at the fairly new Lost, Found & Dearly Departed blues picnic in Harrisburg, PA on Saturday night and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith from Muddy Water's old band was the headliner. He was a harp man and drummer for Muddy, and now tours as a front man so I was hoping to hear some harp.

I was in attendance with Mike Easton and we were watching Willie set up and trying to ID his equipment. We had been concerned that he might be flying in and not have gear and have to play through the PA (not that it's a problem for guys like Cotton) and in that case I was going to offer up my Cruncher for the night. I went up and asked if he needed any help since he seemed to be fumbling about as if he lost or forgot something. Willie said he was set and I took the time to check his gear. The amp had a big Sonny Jr faceplate on it and looked like a 410 but had a plate that said "The Cruncher" and more knobs than mine. An early prototype maybe? He also had a sweet red mic. Mike talked to him later and I think he said that his son got him the amp custom made and the mic was also from Sonny Jr. He had I believe one effect pedal coming off the mic to the amp.So it didn't sound like this was some free or endorsee deal, he was just using the gear that works for him and he loves.

Willie got the crowd going with a long full set of Muddy tunes and blues classics, blowing great chicgo-style harp all the way through. The rig sounded fantastic and Willie was having a good time. Check him out if he's in your neighborhood on tour!

Bill Hines



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