[Harp-L] Re: Top lifetime wage earning harp pros

[David Fairweather <dmf273@xxxxxxxxx>]

I think you have to disqualify people like Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder and any other entertainers who are not primarily thought of as harp players even though they do continue to play some harp in their acts.   

But that still leaves some heavyweight earners around the top of the list.  Magic Dick must have made a bundle back in the day when J.Geils Band was filling arenas.   If you count Lee Oskar's harmonica sales,  I'm sure he must rank highly too.  

And then there's the tier of top pros who may not be household names, but who make a decent living as full time players and studio musicians.  I'd put Toots, Tommy Morgan, Charlie McCoy, Howard Levy, Rob Paparozzi and Charlie Musselwhite into that category.

There's the tier of full time gigging mid-level pros always on the road, highly respected among their peers, but who may still be struggling and hustling to pay their bills.
   
And don't forget the pros who make their living customizng harps,  teaching, writing, and putting on jam camps and seminars.