Charlie Musselwhite/Power Blues Harp

Charles Douglas Musselwhite III, the white Southerner considered by many to be the most

consistently exciting and imaginative blues harmonica player alive, is in the unique position of

being viewed as a peer by legendary blues figures three and four decades his senior and as a legend

by his fans and members of the rock and jazz community. Musselwhite has been playing professionally

for over 25 years and has been listed as a major influence by art· ists as widespread as songstress

Phoebe Snow, harmonica wizards Kim Wilson and Norton Buffalo, and guitar hero Carlos Santana.

Charlie was born in Mississippi in 1944. At an early age he moved to Memphis with his family, all

their possessions loaded in a borrowed dump truck. Growing up in Memphis, Char­ lie was surrounded

by music. Neighbor Jimmy Griffin went on to found pop group BREAD, across the road lived rockabilly

legends Johnny Burnette and Slim Rhodes. Charlie went to school with Tommy Cash, Johnny's brother,

and traveling gospel groups would regularly set up tents in a nearby field.

Charlie loved all the music he heard around him, but his favorite was blues. During this period, he

befriended Furry Lewis, Will Shade, and the still-living members of the Memphis Jug Band. At age

18, Charlie moved on to Chicago. Within weeks he became a familiar figure in the South Side clubs,

playing regularly with such greats as Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Little

Walter, Otis Spann, Shakey Horton, and Big Joe Williams. As Charlie himself puts it, "Every night

I'd be down there listening to artists I'd admired most of my life. When they found out I could

play, they let me sit in. When they liked what they heard, they offered me gigs." Charlie worked

all over Chicago, in clubs and on the streets.

In 1966 he was recorded by Vanguard Records, which led to the worldwide recognition he now enjoys.

He has gone on to record numerous albums on his own and as a featured guest artist. Charlie is a

hard-working man, on the road over nine months a year. He tours through­ out the U.S., Canada,

Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Between tours, he returns to home base in Northern California.

Wherever he finds himself, his audience can be sure that the Charlie Musselwhite Band will satisfy

the highest standards of musical excellence and excitement.

Phil Duncan earned his Masters of Music Education degree in 1973 from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music plus 60 hours of postgraduate studies. His Master's thesis focused on the study of methods for teaching beginning voice and instrumental techniques. Currently, Mr. Duncan is a Hohner Harmonica performing artist and endorsee. His styles are jazz, blues, bluegrass, folk and gospel music. Phil Duncan's career as an author for Mel Bay Publications began in 1979. After his initial harmonica book, he began writing on virtually every aspect of playing this unique instrument. He has made a significant contribution to the understanding and repertoire for this instrument. Phil added many instructional and music literature books about harmonica in just about every genre. He also has recorded instructional videos and audio that accompanies his books. These items are available in music stores throughout the world.