Harmonicas
Lester Chambers performed with his brothers as the Chambers Brothers, a band that became a pivotal group beginning in the late 1960s. The band had style, so much so that bluesman Snooky Flowers reported in his NAMM interview that, "We all went to check out the Chambers Brothers to hear them and to...
Arthur Lee Williams was only five years old when his uncle brought over a harmonica for him as a gift. Arthur took to the harmonica right away and made his career playing it and singing the blues. While recording with Sonny Boy Williamson, Arthur learned to create new sounds as Sonny Boy did and...
Big George Brock knew all about laying his burden down. The blues musician was running his nightclub in 1970 when someone shot up the place to try and hit George. One of the bullets went through the wall and killed George's wife in the next room. George always said you can't sing the blues if you...
Gene Cornish began playing harmonica at an early age and soon added guitar to his list of instruments, the very two he would make a full career from. As an original member of the rock band The Rascals, Gene performed and recorded on all eight of the band's albums and string of hit songs including...
Stevie Wonder has earned the title of the "Mayor of the NAMM Show" for his countless visits to the show floor over the years. He has become an important part of the music products industry not only in promoting new technologies, but in working with companies to design and improve instruments. ...
John Mayall has been an enduring voice on the modern blues scene since the early 1960s. Mayall is a self-taught musician well versed on guitar, harmonica, and piano. Following art school and military service, Mayall entered the British blues scene in 1962 at Alexis Korner’s burgeoning blues club....
Rick Estrin and Charles Baty started playing blues together and decided to form a group in 1976. They brought in two other players and called themselves Little Charlie & the Nightcats. They began touring and soon began to feature at many of the top blues festivals. Ten years later they cut...
Scott Emmerman began taking guitar lessons in his hometown of Chicago when he was five years old. As a musician he toured and recorded with different bands and landed some great gigs, including, ironically enough, as a Boss demo artist at the 1979 NAMM show! He later was hired by Roland as a sales...
James Cotton learned the blues from many of the greatest artists in recorded history! As a result his style of playing is our link to the early development of the music form, especially those influences in the years following World War II. James was nine years old when he played with Sonny Boy...
Tomcat Courtney was raised in a cotton field outside of Marlin, Texas. When he was ten years old he saw Bill Bojangles dance in a traveling minstrel show and Tomcat was hooked. He left home at the age of 14 to dance in the circus where he also sang and learned to play the guitar. His style of...