Harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite’s life reads like a classic blues song: born in Mississippi, raised in Memphis and schooled on the South Side of Chicago.
A groundbreaking recording artist since the 1960s, Musselwhite continues to create trailblazing music while remaining firmly rooted in the blues.
His worldly-wise vocals, rich, melodic harmonica playing and deep country blues guitar work flawlessly accompany his often autobiographical and always memorable original songs.
Charlie Musselwhite grew up surrounded by blues, hillbilly and gospel music on the radio and outside his front door.
Later Charlie living on the South Side, Chicago hung out in blues clubs, developing close friendships with blues icons Little Walter, Big Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Before long, he was sitting in at clubs with Muddy and others, building an impressive word-of-mouth reputation.
His worldly-wise vocals, rich, melodic harmonica playing and deep country blues guitar work flawlessly accompany his often autobiographical and always memorable original songs.
Before long, he was sitting in at clubs with Muddy and others, building an impressive word-of-mouth reputation. During his career Musselwhite has guested on numerous recordings, as a featured player with Tom Waits, Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper, John Lee Hooker (personal friend and best man at his wedding), Bonnie Raitt, The Blind Boys of Alabama,
INXS and most recently Cyndi Lauper. He has shared stages with countless blues and rock musicians. He was inducted into the Blues Foundation’s Blues Hall Of Fame in 2010, has been nominated for six Grammy Awards and has won 24 Blues Music Awards & won a Grammy Award with Ben Harper for “Get Up”2013, he also has just been nominated for
a Grammy Award for “Juke Joint Chapel” out on Henrietta Records.
Musselwhite’s personal history is the kind of story a novelist would sell his soul for, but his indomitable spirit is crafted by him alone. Tough times have been a huge part of his life, and have shaped him into a true working-class hero.
His fans include young hipsters, Vietnam veterans, convicts, bikers, jazz aficionados, aging hippies and hard-core blues fans.
He is a larger-than-life musical legend, writing and singing what he calls, “music from the heart.” According to Musselwhite, “It’s about the feeling, and about connecting with people. And blues, if it’s real blues, is loaded with feeling.
And it ain’t about technique, either. It’s about truth, connecting to the truth and communicating with the people.