Top 10 Blues Harmonica Players
The Harmonica,(or mouth harp) was invented around 1820 in Germany and started being massively exported to the U.S in the last quarter of the 19th century. The cheap and easy to carry instrument quickly became very popular among itinerant blues musicians in North America’s deep south. They popularized the technique known as “cross harp”, which means playing the instrument in a different position, and consequently, key than it was originally intended for, creating a more mournful and brooding sound. This made the harp not only a perfect fit for the blues but also one of the driving forces behind the genre.
To pay tribute to this vital instrument, Blues Rock Review lists its top 10 blues harmonica players.
10. Sonny Terry
Saunders Terrell was born in Greensboro, Georgia in 1911. He went blind at the age of 16 and that kept him from working on the farm which led the unfortunate boy to play music for a living, His trademark whoopin’ style, combined with his astounding melodic approach has placed him among the most celebrated harp players in the history of blues music. Terry enjoyed a reasonably successful career, releasing and participating in a dozen of albums, (most notably with his long-time partner, guitarist and vocalist Brownie Mcgee) before passing out peacefully in 1986, after spending his last years in Mineola, New York.
9. Jason Ricci
Jason Ricci is a musician born in Portland, Maine in 1974 and one of the best and most important blues performers currently active. His drug and alcohol addiction, his strong opinions and the fact that some people don’t handle well that he is openly gay/bisexual have put some bad press in his name, however, make no mistake, the man can play the hell out of a harmonica. Aggressive and heavy, but remarkably pleasant, Ricci’s playing has earned him critical praise, a Grammy award (for his collaboration on Johnny’s Winter Step Back album ) and a place in our list, of course.
8. Big Walter Horton
Born in Horn Lake, Mississipi in 1921, Walter Horton is a legend of blues harp and one of the masters of the amplified harmonica style. His fat, powerful tone and distinctive one-note lines make him one of the most influential and imitated players in the scene. Although struggling financially and never reaching anything close to mainstream fame ( just like almost everyone on this list), Horton has built an important musical legacy, collaborating with some of the blues most acclaimed names (Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, Carey Bell, etc) and releasing some great solo material by himself (although he clearly preferred the sideman’s role). Walter passed away in Chicago, in 1981.
7. Charlie Musselwhite
Charlie Musselwhite was born in Mississipi in 1944 and is recognized as one of the earliest white blues harpists. Although a very competent guitarist and singer, Musselwhite is mostly known for his versatile, potent and technical harp playing. Starting his career in the early ’60s, Musselwhite’s been waving the blues flag ever since, delivering the goods both live and in the studio. He’s also won the Grammy for best blues album for his collaboration with Ben Harper in Get Up!. He’s still active and shows no sign of slowing down.
6. James Cotton
Grammy Award-winner James Henry Cotton, born in Tunica, Mississipi in 1935, was a harmonica virtuoso notable for his work with some of blues music greatest titans (especially in Muddy Waters’s band) and his solo career. Explosive, fiery, versatile and tasty, Cotton’s harp sound defined a generation and helped shape the blues as we know it today. He kept recording and touring even at a very old age and just like fine wine, he only got better. Accurately nicknamed “Mr. SuperHarp”, Cotton died in 2017 in Austin, Texas.
5. Sonny Boy Williamson II
Aleck (or Alex, depending on the source) Rice Miller, born in Tutwiler, Mississipi (possibly) in 1912, better known as Sonny Boy Williamson II, was one of the greatest bluesmen of his time and a stupendous harmonica player. Despite stealing John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson’s (more on him later) name to capitalize on his fame, Miller was much more than an imitation, developing an influential style of his own and enjoying a long and successful career, having played with the likes of Robert Johnson, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. His memorable bursts of licks and solos of soulful and potent harp technique and his mean-sounding vocals created a mesmerizing musical experience. Rice Miller died in Helena, Arkansas in 1965.
4. Paul Butterfield
Paul Vaughn Butterfield, who was born in Chicago in 1942 (just like his most famous song indicates), was one of the greatest bluesman to ever pick up a harp. Mastering both amplified and acoustic harmonica, His playing was extremely technical, encompassing jazz and soul elements, but also conveying a lot of feeling, thanks to his always sharp, piercing and intense tone. Mentored by Muddy Waters himself, He developed into a great singer, songwriter and bandleader very quickly and was one of the main reasons the Chicago blues sound reached white audiences. Paul died tragically in 1987 in North Hollywood, California, after a drug overdose.
3. Junior Wells
Amos Wells Blakemore Jr. was born in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1934 and is truly a force to be reckoned with regarding amplified harmonica. He served as Muddy Waters’s harpist, toured with the Rolling Stones and succeeded in a long-living and brilliant solo career making him widely recognized as one of the true masters of the electric blues. For Wells, every note mattered, and his wailing, potent, and sometimes melancholic tone combined with his deep, strong vocal interplay made him one of the finest names in the business. Either serving as a sideman or as solo attraction, when Wells picked up his harp, people knew they were in for a show. He died in 1998 in Chicago after a battle with cancer.
2. Sonny Boy Williamson
Born in Madison County, Tennesse in 1914, John Lee Curtis “Sonny Boy” Williamson, or the original Sonny Boy, pioneered the use of the harmonica as the lead instrument in the blues, which, in his music, worked sometimes almost as a second voice, answering his vocal passages with weeping and piercing notes. He’s also one of the greatest songwriters and singers in blues music, making him truly a triple threat. His graceful, inventive, and masterful playing was influential to hundreds of other greats blues harmonicists, and even though Rice Miller is the far more famous Sonny Boy, John Lee is as important and brilliant as him. After recording dozens of hit singles, and at the peak of his career, John Lee sadly died in Chicago in 1948, after a brutal beating during a robbery.
1. Little Walter
Marian “Little” Walter Jacobs, born in Marksville, Louisiana in 1930, is the undisputed king of the blues harmonica. After arriving in Chicago and making a name for himself, he found his place as the first proper harpist in Muddy Water’s band and played with giants such as Willie Dixon and Jimmy Rogers, however, his solo career is where he really shined, displaying all of his songwriting magic, releasing one hit single after another. His rich, ripping, haunting and unique tone, merged with his solid rhythmic sense and pioneering use of the amplified distortion makes him very special in the history of music. He was the harp equivalent of Jimi Hendrix, but unfortunately, his prolific career met a tragic and untimely end, when he died in 1968, of coronary thrombosis, after being injured in a bar fight in the south side of Chicago. Nevertheless, his legacy as the ultimate harmonica wizard lives on.
I cannot believe you overlooked Kim Wilson…possible the most influential of the modern harmonica players…jason Ricci is a maverick player but I would regard him influential or in the top ten
Lester Butler?
Just Americans. What happened to Paul lamb
Nice piece! “we” could start an honorable mention list and I would nominate Magic Dick from the J. Geils
band. Also, Dennis Gruenling from the Nick Moss band.
I suggest everyone check out Sugar Blue. I’ve seen him a couple of times and he’s flat out unbelievable.
https://youtu.be/_NxZrVW4Sgk
What about Pat Hayes of The Lamont Cranston Band? Bonnie Raitt called him one of the best. Highly regarded by Dan Akroyd, and one of the only opening acts for The Rolling Stones who weren’t booed off of the stage.
Norton Buffalo!!!!!
Sugar Blue
Huey Lewis
Huey Lewis is not American.
I completely agree that Magic Dick should be In the top ten.
Harpdog Brown certainly deserves to be on this list. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvhkBwIJEGA
and for all time greats, the amazing Paul DeLay as perfromer on the chromatica and as a song writer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk6H8dIWoJU
Paul was the man who made it happen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeNlOgaNMGg
Give a listen to the late great Paul delay.
Please don’t forget Detroit born and Boston based James Montgomery. Working with Johnny Winters for 6 years, headlining many shows with some all time greats, and makes the Harp dance all night!
Sem dúvidas uma lista a altura, dos mais antigos e melhores! Colocaria George Harmônica Smith entre os 5 primeiros e aumentaria está lista para os 20 melhores, incluindo: Frederic Yonnet, Jean Jacques Milteau, Jhon Popper, Terry McMillan, Mark Ford, Magic Dick, Carey Bell, Rod Piazza, Toots Thielemans e por aí vai…
Sugar Blue is my favorite.
What about Billy Branch and Adam Gussow, Big Mamma Thornton, Big George Brock, Phil Wiggins, Slim Harpo, DeFord Bailey, Carey Bell and Joe Filsko? And I’m sure I forgot someone…
Charlie McCoy? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEn20Wk-Dcg
That’s nine that you want in the top 10? You should add one more to make it your top 10!
Obviously you don’t know Blues by your list. You’ve just upset people. Try and listen a little better.
You overlooked quite a few. Slim Harpo/ Lazy Lester/ Rick Estrin/ Rod Piazza.
Jason Ricci? Oh he’s good but does not belong in the top 10.
You also missed William Clarke.
I reckon that you could do with adding Will Wilde to that list.
Paul Butterfield. The best of the best. I have all of his old albums and continue to listen. Just gets better with age.
And what about Bonny B? He is the great harmonica and teacher since 30years, and a great blues singer as well… you better watch him on YouTube…
And what about Bonny B? He is the great harmonica and teacher since 30years, and a great blues singer as well… you better watch him on YouTube…
Rice Miller is number 5?
This invalidates the whole thing.
Se fossemos incluir todas as sugestões dos comentários passaríamos de um top facilmente kkk! A lista está ótima com bons nomes. Parabéns!
John Lee Curtis was the Father of the Blues Harmonica. Before him there was none, He Revolutionized the harmonica & Invented the Discovered it. He was the star of the harmonica who wrote dozens of countless #1 hits. He was the Original #1 Sonnyboy Williamson. He made and had the first #1 Blues Hit’s.His songs were covered by damn near every blues muscians who’s who. Especially that Alex Wright who used John Lee’s Sonnyboy Williamson’s name to capitalize on. This was how Alex wright got so popular. John lee was the 1st Original Master Blues player of the Harmonica who rules the early 1900’s. He was killed in the later 1930’s in Chicago around 31st not far from his home over a robbery beating. After his death Alex Wright took his name Sonny boy williamson and got to be very popular by stealing John Lee Sonnyboy williamson’s name & fame to make his self the one & only Sonny boy williamson. So now the people of this generation from the 1960s would never ever get to know who the one and only original real Sonny boy Williamson really was. John lee Sonny boy Williams the 1st was my mother’s father cousin.
John Lee Curtis was the Father of the Blues Harmonica. Before him there was none, He Revolutionized the harmonica & Invented the Discovered it. He was the star of the harmonica who wrote dozens of countless #1 hits. He was the Original #1 Sonnyboy Williamson. He made and had the first #1 Blues Hit’s.His songs were covered by damn near every blues muscians who’s who. Especially that Alex Rice Miller who would later become known as Sonnyboy #2 used the Original Inventer John Lee #1 Sonnyboy Williamson’s name to capitalize on it. This was how Alex wright got so popular. John lee was the 1st Original Master Blues player of the Harmonica who rules the early 1900’s. He was killed in the later 1930’s in Chicago around 31st not far from his home over a robbery beating. After his death Alex Rice Miller stole the name from John Lee Sonnyboy Williamson the first and got to be very popular by stealing John Lee Sonnyboy williamson’s name & fame to make his self the one & only Sonny boy williamson. After John Lee’s death the people of this generation from the 1960s & after would never ever get to know who the one and only original real Sonny boy Williamson was. John Lee Sonny boy Williams the 1st was my mother’s father cousin.
Delightful post on the Harp. As you have said many beginners tend to choose music outside of their skill level, this impedes their learning as they are trying to run before they can walk. It’s important that a musician learns their repertoire and understands what music they should start with, especially with the harp being a difficult and unusual instrument. If you would like to learn more, please check out our post on the harp to learn from pro-harpist, Bethan Semmens.
Thank you for your time
Mo
Absolutely fantastic post on the violin, good posts on it are hard to come by and you really nailed all the points. As the violin is one of the most prolific instruments in music there is a lot of misinformation online about it and some of the tips can be incorrect. If you would like to check out some tips on the violin, please check out our post on it, written by pro-violinist, Fiona Gibbs.
Thank you so much
Mo
Someone mentioned Paul Delay. The most underrated harp player in history
I see a lot of names up here but you all for getting on more harp Player that be the one and only he my Grandfather Mr. George homonica Smith he also was very good he was good you can’t say he was not
I enjoyed the list you’ve compiled here, and applaud your work as well as your decision to post this. Thank you for sharing this information with us, and for anyone who might be thinking about posting something critical. This is ALL subjective and shouldn’t be so harshly criticized. If John Popper was my introduction to the harmonica, I wouldn’t have been interested in picking one up.
Great list. Thank you.
I’ve seen many of the harp artist listed here and many of the alternate choices. It’s a great list. I totally agree that Jason Ricci is more than qualified to be listed. Technically he maybe the best
Don’t know enough to say best 10 or not, but I’ve looked at four lists of harmonica players just now (two of them exclusively for British players) and nowhere to be mentioned is Jack Bruce. I’ve always enjoyed his playing, particularly in the song he wrote called Train Time. Your list is a good one and thanks for putting it together.
LOTS of good leads here both from the list and the comments. Can’t wait to listen, or relisten, to each of these players.
Come on. Any list that does not include Canned Heat’s Al Wilson is illegitimate. The man had the FEEL for the instrument, that eerie hoodoo magic that Little Walter possessed (or possessed Little Walter).. far more important than mere chops. Put “Blind Owl” at No. 2 and you’ll have something worth studying.
How about Ted Vaughn? Sounds good to me.
Thanks everyone. I enjoyed reading everything on this page.