![]() His five part entry on YouTube and his interview with Magic Dick are invaluable points of reference. Indeed the end stabs in Whammer Jammer correlate directly with Cotton’s version of ‘Rocket 88’.Īcknowledgment to those who have gone beforeĪ few years ago I discovered the semi-diagrammatic harp tab for Whammer Jammer on line compiled by Rick Barker. It was a ground breaking project and remains a useful resource for anyone investigating the song’s structure. Magic Dick himself maintains that, although he drew on both Walters when building his technique, James Cotton remained his biggest influence. Further analysis reveals influences from James Cotton ( Rocket 88) and Little Walter ( Back Track), to Big Walter Horton ( Hard Hearted Woman). He also quotes the jazz horn greats (John Coltrane in particular) as being of great influence on his own playing. ![]() It was an harmonica epiphany.įollowing the forensics, Magic Dick credits Sonny Boy Williamson II’s Bye Bye Bird as his inspiration for the opening to Whammer Jammer. With a set list that included Homework, Pack Fair and Square and Whammer Jammer, the connection should have been blindingly apparent. I was even unaware of the influence the J.Geils Band had on my favourite UK outfit, Nine Below Zero. Worse still, I’d never heard of their harp man Magic Dick (aka Juke Joint Jimmy), the man with the sexy name and the crazy mane, who blew the back off his harps like a deranged pyrotechnician. I had no idea the Centerfold band played weapon grade R&B. As the musical mayhem unfolded, my jaw dropped and I stared into space bewitched. Bluntly (being an Ozzie), he made it clear I was playing a Whammer Jammer derivative, and he duly produced his Full House LP to prove the point.ĭropping the vinyl on the turntable and grinning, he guided the stylus to track four. However, a friend brought me tumbling back to reality and landing firmly on my arse. Innocently, I believed I’d established myself at the pinnacle of power harping. My Whammer Jammer tale begins many years ago, when I learned what I assumed was a unique harp instrumental called Swing Job by Nine Below Zero. Key of A major ten hole diatonics harps at the ready. Like the lunar landing, or the fall of the Berlin Wall, every power harp fan can remember when and where they were first Whammered! So, it’s time to reminisce a little, do some research and then, with the help of modern technology, deconstruct the song for you. It is a power harping beast of the highest order. Originally recorded on the J.Geils Band studio album The Morning After in 1971, Whammer Jammer reappeared a year later on the classic live album Full House. Here’s the top entry in our ‘ I wanna play like that’ hit list. The connectedness of all things physical and spiritual is astounding.You gonna get it all down, get it all night, get it all right, get it out of sight and get it down baby? I'm grateful for a never-ending attraction to these matters. Do you keep up with what's happening in the field?ĭS: My interest in physics is cosmology and quantum mechanics. One of the hallmarks of a great player is to be able to continually invent without relying on chord changes to carry interest. This made accompanying him more difficult. John Lee played mostly on one chord and, when he did change, it was not according to a standard formula like a lot of blues. ![]() This was around 1970 in Boston at a club called the Jazz Workshop. JC: Your best experience playing with an old-time blues musician?ĭS: Jamming with John Lee Hooker was especially thrilling. I still love it, and I'm working on improving it! My guess would be thousands of times not counting my own practicing. I've performed it at every show I've played. JC: Do you ever get tired of playing Whammer Jammer? How many times do you think you've played it?ĭS: It's a constant source of stress, but it helps to keep my playing honed. Use your imagination to advance your technique and improve your sound. Do whatever it takes to stay strongly attracted to playing the harp. JC: Your advice to young aspiring musicians?ĭS: Listen, and practice all the time. As a harp player, I don't have time to spend this way. JC: Do you watch America's Got Talent and such shows, and what do you think of them?ĭS: Talent is everywhere. Geils Band, my musical role is more narrowly defined. Each day we get together brings so much spontaneous playing and new ideas. Geils Band.ĭS: The musical experience with Shun Ng is very fresh, exciting and challenging. JC: Contrast an acoustic performance with Shun Ng to one of The J. ![]() Our drummer, Stephen Jo Bladd, had a gorilla mask on and the rest of us had on old-man masks. Geils touring days?ĭS: One Halloween in the early '70's somewhere in Canada, we thought we'd have some fun when we came out on stage to start our show. JC: How about a crazy story from the old J.
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