Harmonica Blog Blog about the Harmonica and music
Shakey Horton aka Big Walter is one of the most influential blues harmonica players of all times.
His acoustic and electric tone set a milestone for all blues players. There are two striking facts in this rare video of him from 1970 while touring the American folk blues festival in Copenhagen :
1 – All the musicians play swing and relaxed in a very jazzy way showcasing the pure Chicago blues tradition. This is so far from the “modern” blues we hear 80% of the time these days that it is worth mentioning !
2 – Big walter has a killer sound without using any special harmonica mic or fancy pedals. In a time where every other day the harmonica player is urged to buy the latest piece of gear that will finally give him “the sound” It is a good reminder that the sound is you !
He seems to be playing a classic Hohner Marine Band 1896 in the key of A on both tunes.
Harmonica blues is now widely covered in many tutorials and online resources
the harmonica master recorded only very few official solo albums and unfortunately many bootlegs and usually bad quality recordings and poor productions have surfaced long after his death.
Some of his best work can be found as a sideman with Jimmy Rogers