# Killer Harmonica Parts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 16, 2021, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665 "2021-01-16T11:41:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/21 "2021-01-16T17:24:29Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Baba O’Riley solo by Roger Daltrey… Rog does a pretty good job here too (aptly described by Pete as _“very, very, very heavy breathing”_) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/sGOUuWBFca8/maxresdefault.jpg "The Who - Magic Bus - Royal Albert Hall") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGOUuWBFca8&t=273) ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/22 "2021-01-16T19:03:48Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ADYFJhdrR2Q/hqdefault.jpg "John Sebastian Plays Harmonica") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADYFJhdrR2Q) ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/23 "2021-01-16T19:26:56Z")
Little Walter. [Juke](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J3eGUATzaY) ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/24 "2021-01-16T19:32:27Z")
Little Walter on harmonica: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/c-auTBLA5aA/hqdefault.jpg "Muddy Waters - Just to Be With You") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-auTBLA5aA) Jack Bruce with Cream: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jvwtGQIEk6s/hqdefault.jpg "THE CREAM BBC 1966 Live - Traintime") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvwtGQIEk6s) Alan Wilson and Canned Heat (with Harvey Mandel on guitar): [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1f2c0JHyPSg/hqdefault.jpg "CANNED HEAT - BRING IT ON HOME Live 1970") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f2c0JHyPSg) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/25 "2021-01-16T20:03:31Z")
Another by Toots Thielemans, here covering the Benny Goodman tune “Don’t Be That Way”: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VySP9L4a1w8/hqdefault.jpg "Toots Thielemans plays Don't be that way") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VySP9L4a1w8) Check out the lick at 3:43 😲 ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/26 "2021-01-16T20:40:12Z")
Dr. Ring Ding is an outstanding Ska band from Germany. The harmonica solo (at about 2:10) from Gerd Gorke on this cut is one of the best I’ve ever heard. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ZSjkH2E0xi8/maxresdefault.jpg "Knocking on My Door") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSjkH2E0xi8) ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/27 "2021-01-16T21:04:42Z")
I love me some harp - this thread promises to be a lot of enjoyable listening. In the meantime, may I offer two very different examples. Raw British R&B from the '70s. Dr Feelgood - Going Back Home (Live). Man, Lee Brilleaux could blow. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vV0yYcN9QnE/maxresdefault.jpg "Dr Feelgood - Going Back Home (Live)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV0yYcN9QnE) And oddly, a perfect little piece of pop - Groovin’ With Mr Bloe [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aaQWOne1sfo/hqdefault.jpg "Mr Bloe - Groovin` With Mr.Bloe") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaQWOne1sfo) j ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/28 "2021-01-16T23:58:51Z")
“Hush, Hush” by the Siegel Schwall Band. Stay with it – it keeps getting better. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qgWBjKdlH88/hqdefault.jpg "THE SIEGEL SCHWALL BAND - Hush Hush (Live) 1971") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgWBjKdlH88) ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/29 "2021-01-17T07:18:11Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > The addition of Adam’s harmonica to his songs takes them from merely “far too full of talent to be played on the street for handouts” to “transcendent emotional experience”; it is the perfect counterpoint and compliment to Mr. Satan. Wow. I don’t think a lot of ppl know of Satan and Adam, unless you’re a wanna-be harp player (like me) and followed [Adam Gussow’s free harmonica classes on Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/user/KudzuRunner) (or hung out in Harlem in the 1980’s.) Adam has tons and tons of videos for the beginner and intermediate harp player, where he, “gives it all away.” > [@Capn\_Carl](#): > > My fave is Magic Dick’s solo in Whammer Jammer on the live J. Geils album Full House. Adam Gussow had a FANTASTIC interview with Magic Dick, in which they discussed simply everything about it, from its genesis to a literal blow-by-blow breakdown. The full interview, IIRC, was over an hour long, all about a 3 minute song. Here are some highlights: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/sKsd2Nc14UU/hqdefault.jpg "Magic Dick explains "Whammer Jammer"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKsd2Nc14UU) This next song is to me, now, what, “Whammer Jammer” was to teenage me. Stunning. Wade Schuman, of Hazmat Modine, performing, “Lost Fox Train” on Russian television. A masterclass in harmonica technique while also showcasing its history of train sounds and fox chases. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/STxVuuwYBRI/hqdefault.jpg "Lost Fox Train") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STxVuuwYBRI) Hazmat Modine actually has TWO fantastic harp players, but this is a solo performance - the harp, the vocalizations, everything is Wade. For a little more of harmonica history, here’s DeFord Bailey, performing, “Fox Chase” at the Grand Old Opry. You can hear some of what influenced Wade Schuman here. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/_e7VBJTHWxo/hqdefault.jpg "DeFord Bailey - Fox Chase") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e7VBJTHWxo) “John Henry” was arguably DeFord’s best song, though. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/s3lRfRbRzNE/hqdefault.jpg "John Henry - Deford Bailey") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3lRfRbRzNE) ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/30 "2021-01-17T13:29:10Z")
Here is a very well known one - Stone Fox Chase - Area code 615 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CX02BDEO4xw/maxresdefault.jpg "AREA CODE 615 - Stone Fox Chase (1970)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX02BDEO4xw) ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/31 "2021-01-17T15:49:19Z")
You taught me something, thanks. I knew the theme of The Old Grey Whistle Test, but didn’t know who did it. Charlie McCoy played harp for Area Code 615, according to Wikipedia, and I’d heard of him. Just about any harp you heard in a movie or TV show in the 1970’s or 1980’s, Charlie did it. If a successful recording artist need a session player on a song, Charlie did it. The man was simply everywhere, and with good reason. It isn’t TOO much of an exaggeration to say Charlie McCoy played harp for the actual area code 615, since that’s Nashville’s exchange. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/32 "2021-01-17T16:19:18Z")
Another rocker: _Got No Shame_ by Brother Cane (90’s grunge/blues I just discovered and/or forgot about) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vfxOcVGdssk/maxresdefault.jpg "Got No Shame") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfxOcVGdssk) ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/33 "2021-01-17T16:20:18Z")
Sorry, but I had to post this one while I remembered it. Here’s the late Norton Buffalo performing on Bonnie Raitt’s cover of, “Runaway.” He used four different keys and swapped harps seven times in 30 seconds! In a live performance! He did it in the studio, and he did it here. I’ve never seen anyone else perform that solo live. Any time Bonnie performs it and Norton wasn’t there, they went with guitar and/or saxophone. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YONJsz71AXA/hqdefault.jpg "Bonnie Raitt - Runaway (Live Midnight Special 1977)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YONJsz71AXA) I guess Charlie McCoy was busy with something else. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/34 "2021-01-17T17:47:29Z")
This is going in a completely different harmonica direction, but I’ve always enjoyed Howard Levy’s jazzy use of the diatonic (he plays it basically like a chromatic harp – getting all the inbetween notes not just through bends but also through overblows and overdraws.) I’m not sure which to feature, but for flash, I kinda like the solo from “Tell It To The Gov’nor” which is very bebop-py in nature, so if you’re not so into jazz, you may not like it, but it’s cool, especially knowing it’s played on a 10-hole diatonic harp (not sure which one exactly in that song, but Howard liked Golden Melodies early in his career, and then played customized Hohners by Joe Filisko.) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/i7tBVJPaiAQ/hqdefault.jpg "Béla Fleck and the Flecktones - Tell it to the Gov'nor") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7tBVJPaiAQ) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/35 "2021-01-17T19:08:47Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > > > The addition of Adam’s harmonica to his songs takes them from merely “far too full of talent to be played on the street for handouts” to “transcendent emotional experience”; it is the perfect counterpoint and compliment to Mr. Satan. > > Wow. I don’t think a lot of ppl know of Satan and Adam, unless you’re a wanna-be harp player (like me) I could write thousands of words on this but suffice here to say that I have a deep and abiding passion for music that exhibits raw emotion as honestly and enthusiastically as S&A. They are the perfect balance of technical ability and performative enthusiasm. Anything they cannot do doesn’t matter because they do everything they can (and both can do a lot; they are each virtuoso players) without error, in perfect concert with each other. They are a part of the pinnacle of what The Blues can be, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/36 "2021-01-17T19:48:54Z")
I think “Mirror Man” is one of many Captain Beefheart songs where he blows a mean harp. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/37 "2021-01-17T19:54:29Z")
I’m not the biggest fan of the direction the Dave Matthews Band ultimately went in, but it has to be said that they had some amazing songs back in the 90s and this is one of them: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7gXuYFih6Y8/maxresdefault.jpg "Dave Matthews Band - What Would You Say (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gXuYFih6Y8) (It’s John Popper, of Blues Traveler fame, playing the harmonica on that song - a fact that I just now learned, upon looking it up on Wikipedia. He is not seen in the video.) ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2021, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/38 "2021-01-18T06:56:43Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I could write thousands of words on this but suffice here to say that I have a deep and abiding passion for music that exhibits raw emotion as honestly and enthusiastically as S&A. If you have the time and inclination, maybe you _should_ write something, or even a series of somethings. You clearly have a passion for the subject. When I find something new (to me) and intriguing on Youtube, I take a stab at writing about it. I that did with Fanny, and Chuck Prophet, but that’s a rare occurrence, unfortunately. Like you, I love honest, enthusiastic performances. Youtube has been a godsend for those of us who can’t get out to see live music any more. Mister Satan was getting up there in years and has lived in a nursing home in Florida for more than a decade, but I’m sad to say [he passed away](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/24/arts/music/sterling-magee-dead-coronavirus.html) last year due to COVID. It has hit the nursing homes very hard all over. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2021, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/39 "2021-01-18T07:57:54Z")
Mason Proffit’s version of Amazing Grace. Starts off pretty standard country/folk, then segues into a pretty killer blues version. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/tJiRFB3GTdU/maxresdefault.jpg "Amazing Grace") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJiRFB3GTdU) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2021, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665/40 "2021-01-18T15:08:05Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > It’s John Popper, of Blues Traveler fame, playing the harmonica on that song Yeah, John has such a distinctive style I can hear him a mile away. First time I heard that song, I knew it was him. Come think of it, same with Howard Levy – he shows up as a guest musician on records from time to time and he used to be occasionally on Prairie Home Companion. As soon as I hear that harp, I know it’s him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-harmonica-parts/930665.md?page=3)