[Harp-L] Charlie Leighton.....

["tomsmics" <tomsmics@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Years ago, at the urging of Rob P, Joe Filisko and a few others, I made many efforts to search out any recording by Charlie Leighton, finally getting someone to dupe me a cassette of, as I recall, something he had recorded either in the late '50s or early '60s.  The build up to his playing had been so great that I decided to save it for a few days, to find a place I could listen/savor it, and a week later found myself out in the east Texas country, on an undulating two laner, no cars in sight, a blue sky blazing and autumn color beginning to show.  This looked like the perfect place. 

It is nearly impossible to put into words what I heard that day:  A tone that was so singularly beautiful, so strikingly different from ANY chromatic player I had ever heard, one that overwhelmed my aural senses to the point I just had to pull over.  A purity of sound that was so unique, so distinct.  A melodic and lyrical sensibility that, for me, redefined the possbilities of the instrument, beyond anything I could have ever imagined on the harmonica.  I found Charlie's sound and lyricism so all consuming I could do nothing but listen in its presence.

To this day I treasure that cassette, because there's nothing like it, or even close to it, in the thousands of hours of recorded harmonica music I have heard or have in my possession.  I can only hope that Will or Rob or some of the other Tuesday afternoon guys can point every harmonica player to a source for Charlie's recorded work.  He was certainly the greatest, most underrated harmonica player, maybe ever.....

My only regret is that I write this now, after he has left us.  TOM ELLIS/Tom's Mics