One of the most prominent harmonica players of the past several decades, Charlie Musselwhite burst out of the vibrant Chicago blues scene in the 1960s to become a trendsetter for a new musical generation in California. Born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, on Jan. 31, 1944, Musselwhite began playing harp and guitar in Memphis, where he sought out blues veterans Will Shade, Furry Lewis, and others. He shared a Mississippi and Memphis background with many of the bluesmen he later met in Chicago and became a friend and disciple of harmonica maestro Big Walter Horton, among others. Finding a receptive audience for his music on the West Coast upon the release of his debut album, Stand Back! in 1967, Musselwhite quickly relocated to San Francisco and has lived in the area ever since although tours have taken him around the globe. Thousands of performances and dozens of albums later, Musselwhite remains a well-liked, world-famous, and highly influential musician whose work has been honored with numerous Blues Music Awards and Grammy nominations. Still drawn back to his roots, Musselwhite has become a familiar figure at events in Mississippi and Memphis, and has received a Mississippi Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts as well as a Brass Note on Beale Street’s Walk of Fame.
