By Kevin Coughlin
He partied with Elvis, he sang the blues with Muddy Waters.
Blues harp legend Charlie Musselwhite, the headliner at Saturday’s Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival, blows a whole lot of life experience into his Seydel harmonica.
In this audio interview, Musselwhite, 71, shares a Mississippi-to-Morristown musical odyssey that includes stops in Memphis, Chicago, San Francisco and the White House.
Early on, he developed an appreciation for all kinds of music: “If it was coming from the heart, it meant something to me.”
But he kept coming back to the blues, prowling junkyards and shops for scratchy old records.
“Blues, the way it sounded is how I felt,” Musselwhite explains.
He also offers tips for all you aspiring harmonica players. Never “choked” a blues harp before? Listen up, Morristown!
PODCAST: Charlie Musselwhite shares harmonica secrets
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The Fifth Annual Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015
On the Morristown Green, rain or shine
Admission: Free. Bring lawn chairs or beach blankets
Noon: Swingadelic
2 pm: Bucky Pizzarelli’s Guitar Summit
4 pm: Bria Skonberg
6 pm: Roomful of Blues
8 pm: The Charlie Musselwhite Band
MORE COVERAGE OF THE 2015 MORRISTOWN JAZZ & BLUES FEST
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