Harmonica Almanac – January 15
The cousin of John Lee Hooker, blues guitar, piano and harmonica player Earl Hooker was born on this day in 1930. He was boyhood pals with Bo Diddley and went on to work with Robert Nighthawk, Ike Turner, Sonny Boy Williamson II and even appeared with the Beatles on the “Ready Steady Go” TV show.
Avant-Garde Rock multi-instrumentalist Captain Beefheart counted the harmonica among the many instruments he played. Beefheart was born on this day in 1941.
Chicago Blues harmonica giant Junior Wells died on this day in 1998. He was one heck of a harmonica player. I got to see him play in a Blues bar on Chicago’s north side one night and it was some of the wickedest harmonica playing I’ve ever had the pleasure to hear.
That’s it for today. Have fun and practice!