Reprinted by Permission
HARP TALK
by
Jeff McClain
THIS
MONTH'S GUEST: STEVE
HAGGARD
Steve
Haggard lives in Nashville, where he records
and
produces for the fine indie, Wild Oats Records.
A
talented singer and songwriter who tours Europe
regularly,
Haggard has been playing harp since his
teens,
and can play the hell out of a harmonica. He
has
his own style, which I asked him about when I
interviewed
him in Nashville not long ago.
HARP
TALK: The first thing that strikes me when I
listen
to your harp playing is that you've got your
own
style. Which is great, since too many players
seem
to be generic and not very original sounding.
STEVE
HAGGARD: Thanks. I think there are really
two
reasons for that. The first is that whether it's
singing
or writing or playing, I've always liked to
mix
styles together, and not just be predictable
and
limited to one genre. The second reason is
that
while I consider myself a blues harp player,
I
was primarily influenced by country blues, not
Chicago
blues. I've never used a bullet mic, for
example,
or gone for a heavy, amplified sound.
So
in that way, my playing might seem different
to
people who expect the harmonica to sound a
certain
way.
HT:
When did you first pick up the harp?
SH: I started playing
when I was 15, which was
a year or two before
I began writing songs, or
singing, or learning
to play guitar. I loved the
sound of the harp, so
I bought myself a Hohner
Marine Band, which cost
something like $3.98
back then, and became
one of those annoying
guys who always carried
one around, playing
while walking down the
street, or at the beach,
or at parties. (Laughs.)
So harmonica was really
my first musical love,
and all these years later,
I still love playing
harp.
HT:
Tell me about a bit your early influences, and
how
you first came to want to play harmonica.
SH:
Well, I probably first became aware of the
harmonica
through Bob Dylan and the folk guys
who
played harp in a holder. I liked that sound,
and
although that wasn't really the style that I
wanted
to play, it did motivate me and lead me
to
learn more about the harp and listen to other
types
of harp playing... At the time, I didn't play
guitar
yet, so there was no reason for me to use
a
holder anyway.
HT:
Who were those first players who made you
want
to learn harp, and how did you hear them?
SH:
Listening to Dylan led me to other singers
and
musicians in the folk/blues vein, including
white
blues guys like Koerner, Ray and Glover,
John
Hammond, and so on. Tony Glover wrote
a
book around that time called "Blues Harp", it
was
kind of a combination instruction book and
history
of blues harmonica. It opened me up to
a
whole world of music that I'd known nothing
about.
Which was blues. I was 14 at the time,
and
this was pretty heavy stuff to me. Actually,
it
still is. (Laughs.)
HT:
What was next?
SH:
Through this Tony Glover book, I started to
listen
to Sonny Boy Williamson. To both Sonny
Boy
Williamsons, although Sonny Boy 1 really
influenced
my playing more than Sonny Boy 2.
Sonny
Terry, who is much maligned because
he
wasn't much of a technical player, but who
had
something in his sound that I really liked.
Little
Walter, probably the greatest of them all.
I
loved his playing right away. What he chose
to
play, and the sounds he got out of the harp
influenced
me, although again I was playing
more
country blues than what he was doing.
Howlin'
Wolf, I've always loved his stuff.
HT:
Who were the harp players you got to see
play
live in those days?
SH:
Well, being 14 and 15, I couldn't really
get
in the car and go to Chicago! (Laughs.)
And
the country blues was kind of over, in
any
case. I did see Sonny Terry one time.
Around
this time, though, the Blues Revival
started
happening, which was great, as you
could
see a lot of blues in clubs. I'd go see
Charlie
Musselwhite, who I've always liked.
John
Hammond. Junior Wells. James Cotton,
who
wasn't my favorite stylistically, but who
had
an excellent band. I saw Walter Horton
once,
and his playing was really something.
HT:
You opened for Junior Wells at one time,
didn't
you?
SH:
Yeah, back in the early '80s, the band
I
had at that time opened for Buddy Guy &
Junior
Wells. Two nights, two shows each
night.
And we also shared a dressing room
with
them, which was quite an experience.
(Laughs.) Junior was
really nice to me, and
stood at the bar and
watched a whole set.
That was a little nerve-wracking
for me at
first, but he was really
supportive.
HT: Any other favorite
harp-related stories?
SH: In 2002, I did a two-week
tour in Sweden,
and Lazy Lester was touring
at the same time
for the same booking
agent, and we crossed
paths a lot. Lester,
of course, was on Excello
back in the old days,
with Lightnin' Slim and
Slim Harpo. Great stuff.
Anyway, we got to
hang out quite a bit
on this Swedish tour...
Lester is a very nice
guy. One night, he got
up with us, but he didn't
want to play harp
or sing much blues. He
loved country music,
and sang all these old
Hank Williams songs.
I played harp and sang
harmony with him.
It was great, and the
audience loved it.
HT: You mentioned a
Marine Band earlier. Is
that still the kind
of harmonica you play?
SH: I never really stick
with one type of harp.
At any one time, I'll
have some Lee Oskars, a
few Marine Bands, a couple
of Hohner Blues
Harps... I like different
harps in different keys,
and sometimes it'll just
come down to what's
available when I need
one. For instance, I'll
blow out a reed on an
A harp, and I'll need
one for a session the
next day. In that case,
I'll just go to the music
store and see what's
in stock. Overall, I
probably use Lee Oskars
a bit more than the others.
I particularly like
their High G harp, which
I usually use along
with a regular G on the
same song.
HT: Other than those
players you spoke about,
are there any other,
maybe newer, harmonica
players you listen
to or admire?
SH: Well, I don't really
follow the harp scene
or blues scene as much
as I used to, so there
are probably some excellent
players I haven't
heard. By far the best
bluesy player I've heard
in recent years is a
guy named Paco Shipp. I
saw him play live here
in Nashville a couple
of times, and he's a
great
player,
with a rare
combination of feel,
originality and technique.
Howard Levy is pretty
amazing, too, although
I haven't heard him play
much blues stuff.
HT: Thanks for an informative
interview, Steve.
SH: My pleasure.
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