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From: Benoit Felten
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 09:45:03 +0100
Subject: RE: Overlooked Genre

> Hey what about country music? There is an incredible amount of good
> sometimes great harmonica work by a variety of artists. This is high
> profile radio airplay to a worldwide audience. Go ahead listen to a
> good country station in your area and I guarantee you will hear some
> impressive pro harp playing within half an hour. Oh? You hate country
>music? All sounds the same? Where have I heard that before?:-) There is

> plenty of fluff acts out there but the musicians? Usually top notch.
> Country music has had that same stigma of "not real" or hokey in some
> way as the poor diatonic harp has, yet now gives harmonica its most
> consistent high profile setting (commercials probably the 2nd)

Well, it didn't even cross my mind ! Reason being that we don't have
country stations 'round where I live... In fact in France Country is a
'specialised audience' thing, much as blues or even more so...

> I put forth the proposition that Country music has done more for

> the harmonica in the past 10 years then pop or blues.

I'd say you're probably right in as much as the instrument is respected
by the country musicians and audience, but Mike's argument was also
about versatility : if people think that harp is a country or blues
instrument, then we're only halfway there : it's still being
pigeonholed. I think Mike's point was that he'd like everybody to
consider the instrument as an all-round instrument, suitable for country
blues jazz rock pop what-have-you...

> Garry " it aint all LA or Chicago "

Ben "it's Lille and there ain't much Country music 'round 'ere" !

Ben Felten
Lille, FRANCE
http://www.xhuan.com