Charlie Musselwhite

Harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite’s personal history is the kind of tale a novelist would sell his soul for. He is a larger-than-life musical legend, writing and singing what he calls, “music from the heart.” His 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 his deep country blues guitar work) flawlessly accompany his often autobiographical and always memorable original songs. Living Blues says, “Musselwhite’s rock-solid vocals creep up and overwhelm you before you know it. He plays magnificent harp with superb dexterity and phrasing. The results are amazing.”

Born into a blue collar family in Kosciusko, Mississippi on January 31, 1944 and raised by a single mother, Musselwhite grew up surrounded by blues, hillbilly and gospel music on the radio and around performing musicians in his neighborhood. His family moved to Memphis, where, as a teenager, he worked as a ditch digger, concrete layer and moonshine runner. Fascinated by the blues, Musselwhite began playing guitar and harmonica. As a teen, Musselwhite hobnobbed with many of the local musicians, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Johnny Burnette, but the celebrities young Charlie sought out were Memphis’ veteran bluesmen like Furry Lewis, Will Shade and Gus Cannon.

Following the path of so many, Musselwhite moved to Chicago looking for better paying work. While driving an exterminator truck as a day job, Charlie lived on the South Side and hung out in blues clubs at night, developing close friendships with blues giants Big Walter Horton and Big Joe Williams, who became his key mentors. He roomed with Williams, and was also close to Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson and Howlin’ Wolf, always soaking up licks and lyrics, and learning how to be a bluesman. Before long, he was sitting in at clubs with Muddy Waters, Magic Sam, Earl Hooker, Jimmy Reed, Luther Allison and others, building an impressive local word-of-mouth reputation.

After the release of his first full-length LP on Vanguard—Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite’s South Side Band—he was embraced by the growing youth counter-culture. His subsequent releases found a place with the newly emerging progressive rock FM radio stations, especially on the West Coast. His iconic status established, he relocated to San Francisco, often playing the famed Fillmore Auditorium. Over the years, Charlie has released nearly 40 albums on a variety of labels. Musically, his albums range from straight blues to mixing elements of jazz, gospel, Tex-Mex, Cuban and other world music. Four of those albums—1990’s Ace Of Harps, 1991’s Signature, 1994’s In My Time, and 2010’s The Well—were recorded for Alligator Records and remain among his best-selling titles.

In addition to his own recordings, Musselwhite has guested on numerous recordings, as a featured player with Tom Waits, Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper, John Lee Hooker, Bonnie Raitt, The Blind Boys of Alabama, INXS, Cyndi Lauper, and many others. He was inducted into the Blues Foundation’s Blues Hall Of Fame in 2010, has been nominated for eleven Grammy Awards (winning one) and has won many Living Blues Awards and Blues Music Awards.