A must-see performance for lovers of the blues and the harmonica, this all-star lineup hits the road with some of the biggest names in recent harp history: ringleader Mark Hummel, Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Boy Arnold, Curtis Salgado and Sugar Ray Norcia, all backed by the road-tested veterans The Blues Survivors. Packing as much musical punch as possible into one full-throttle evening, the show offers a special tribute to Little Walter, one of the genre’s giants. Experience the power, range and purity of the “mouth harp,” an instrument virtually synonymous with the blues. Tickets are $35 general, $35 Senior/Child and $15 HSU students. Tickets are available at the University Ticket Office and at humboldt.edu/centerarts.
Mark Hummel is a road warrior – a true blues survivor. Along the way, he has crafted his own trademark harmonica sound – a subtle combination of tone, phrasing and attack, combined with a strong sense of swing. Hummel has achieved wide recognition through nearly constant touring and appearances at the major blues festivals which have firmly established his solid reputation around the U.S., Canada and Europe.
Since 1991, Hummel has been both producing and performing at his Blues Harmonica Blowout series. These shows have grown to be a much-heralded event and continue to draw sellout crowds wherever they appear. The list of participants is a who’s who of blues harp history. This show is not to be missed.
Joining Hummel on-stage will be Charlie Musselwhite, one of the most recognized names in blues harmonica. Born in 1944, Musselwhite has traveled the long road from backwoods Mississippi to a teenaged upbringing in Memphis, where he first heard and learned the blues from its originators. By the mid ’70s he and Paul Butterfield were the two trendsetting white blues blowers in the biz. Musselwhite has received several Grammy nominations and won 19 W.C. Handy Awards. Not bad for a southern country boy from Kosciusko, Miss.
Billy Boy Arnold is a contemporary of James Cotton and Jr. Wells, who started with Ellis McDaniels in Chicago in 1955, where they created the “Bo Diddley” sound at Chess Records. Billy Boy learned harp at the feet of the legendary John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson when Billy was just 12 years old.
Curtis Salgado first gained northwest fame in the mid ’70s as the main front-man/singer in the early Robert Cray Band. At the time, Salgado probably did much or more singing then Cray, who preferred a more backseat role as bandleader. Salgado also played fiery harmonica in the band, but when these two vocalists joined their voices in harmony, they truly soared. This was the main reason John Belushi started the Blues Brothers, while filming “Animal House” in Eugene,Ore., Belushi would come listen, hang out and pick Curtis’s brain to get inspiration to start the Blues Brothers.
Sugar Ray Norcia started the popular East Coast blues band The Bluetones 30 years ago with guitarist Ronnie Earl. They backed Big Walter Horton, Big Joe Turner, Jimmie Rogers, Otis Rush and countless others in the early ’80s all over the North East. They’ve recorded two albums for Rounder Records.
For more information and credit card orders, call CenterArts at 707-826-3928 or at humboldt.edu/centerarts.