If the music world is made up of mighty pillars of harmonica kings, it is equally grazed by respectable women who, in one way or another, have made harmonica playing their lifelong successful career. They have gained more than enough credits to their names for the world to acknowledge.
Here are few of the women harmonica players who have made a success and earned a justified reputation in the music biz.
‘Big Mama’ Thornton:
Her real name was Willie Mae Thornton, and she was called ‘Big Mama’ because of her broad frame. She was a successful blues singer and songwriter, whose performance was made popular by her spectacular shows, her convincing voice and musical skills, her unrestrained stage presence and, of course, her frame that spelled authority in every show.
She had no formal training either for her voice or the instruments she played. Rather, her innate talent as a musically-inclined artist self-taught her to play harmonica and drums. An amazing but little known fact is that she was the original artist who recorded “Hound Dog”. Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller wrote the song exclusively for Big Mama, but, of course, it was popularized later by Elvis Presley who turned it into a huge hit. The full roster of Big Mama’s best-known songs goes like this:
1. Hound Dog
2. Little Red Rooster
3. I Smell A Rat
4. I’m Feeling Alright
5. Ball And Chain
6. Sometimes I Have A Heartache
7. They Call Me Big Mama
8. Sweet Little Angel
9. Life Goes On
10. Swing It on Home
Born is December 11, 1926, Willie Mae Thornton lived for 58 years; she died of heart attack.
Sandra Vazquez:
At age 10, Argentinean Sandra Vazquez began private music lessons, and went on to study with numerous accomplished players including Lee Oscar for whom one of the leading brands of harmonica is named. From that early start, she devoted her life to music, giving private lessons and performing as a guest in top-venue shows, festivals and recitals.
In 2002 she became a band member of a trio, two years later forming her Sandra Vazquez Blues Band, with whom she still plays. The line-up includes guitar, piano, bass, drums, harmonica and voice – all concentrated into a traditional blues sound.
Vazquez was born in 1975 in Buenos Aires and is widely regarded as Argentina’s best harmonica player.
Geneva Red:
As a composer, Red’s original composition became the theme song for “Catfish Blues” on FM Radio in Turin, Italy. She is also an endorser of Hohner Harmonica since 1998 and a member of Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI).
Because both her parents were actors who owned and operated a theater, Red’s upbringing often spotlighted her in musical shows,. Her training from childhood to early adult turned her into a seasoned performer, but her musical interest was in the blues.
So when a musician family friend invited her to a Chicago Blues Festival, Red’s career found direction – blues harp music – and took off from there.
Kat Baloun:
Katherine Elise Baloun, born in 1956 at El Paso, Texas, grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and started playing the piano at 5. She learned the violin at 7, and, at 13, the harmonica. She continued to play the harmonica, but only occasionally until musical friends in San Francisco encouraged her to take it up more seriously, along with her singing.
She moved to Berlin in 1994 and formed her own band, building up a solid reputation in the music arena.
From JP Allen: “When I taught harmonica at the University of Texas (for almost 10 years) and then offered one of the first fully accredited collegiate level harmonica classes on the planet (at Austin Community College), I succeeded in creating a harmonica method that ensures the success of anyone who is willing to practice a minimum of 5 to 10 minutes, twice a week”. Check out JP’s how to play the harmonica lessons.
