[Harp-L] Historical Charlie Musselwhite

[Cljdm@xxxxxxx]

Hey,
 
Just a few general thoughts _of my own_ about Mr. Musselwhite. 
 
For me, Charlie Musselwhite  is a historical musician. His "bridging"  of 
race music into the general music pipeline in the sixties make him an  
important musical figure. This bridge was not an easy one to cross, I   knowing 
first hand the deep prejudices that existed at that time. I grew up in  
Newark, NJ. in the fifties and sixties. Charlie and Paul Butterfield had  big ones 
going to Chicago and learning what there was to learn in those bar  and 
grills. And then, as most of us know, they both went on to cut  some of the 
finest blues and other music ever recorded. 
 
I was VERY pleased to see Charlie being on GMA, and the Apprentice. This  
gives huge exposure and credibility to our instrument.   And  Mr. 
Musselwhite, again, IMO, got the job done like so few of us could  have. How do you 
begin to fit a harp part into Girls Just Want to Have Fun?  Well, he seemed to 
have no problem. And the fact that he was given license to  play throughout 
every tune says a lot in itself, no? Being that it was Cyndi  Lauper's gig, 
not Charlie's, he was heard just about right. Although as a  harp player I 
most always feel the harp could be in the mix more.This  man deserves a huge 
amount of respect, and we all owe him a bit of  gratitude for what he has 
accomplished on our instrument and in  his career. 
 
Just my thoughts,
 
Chris Mastakas