A lot of Blues fans listen mostly to the Guitar, some to the Vocals, and some prefer Piano. Since I'm a self-confessed Harmonica fanatic, I have my 'first favorites' listed over yonder in the column on the right, but I thought I'd list some other Harmonica players (that you may not be aware of) for you to check-out.
But first, the obvious Chicago Blues men that are missing from my short list:
- Junior Wells
- Living legend James Cotton
- Big Walter Horton
- John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson
- Aleck "Rice" Miller, AKA Sonny Boy Willimason, or Sonny Boy II
- Jimmy Reed
- Billy Boy Arnold
- Carey Bell
- Snooky Prior
...and now for some you may not have heard of:
- Adam Gussow
- Sugar Blue
- Jerry Portnoy
- Jason Ricci
- Keith Dunn
- Phil Wiggins
- Paul Oscher
- Annie Raines
- Mark Hummel
- Paul deLay
Every name listed above has solid credentials and deserves your consideration to be added to your Blues Harmonica playlist. These musicians have been at it for some time really laying those blues down in a faithful, honest way. Not a poser in the group.
Finally, 3 guys you probably haven't heard of even if you know every name above:
This last list is 'homeboys' from here in San Diego. Don't let that discourage you from listening to them; all of these guys can BLOW.
I apologize to the scores of other great players not listed here; my memory ain't what it used to be. Every name listed on my blog belongs to a player I admire and aspire to be more like. I hope you enjoy them!