Bluesman still going strong

Raised in the roots music hotbed of Memphis, Charlie Musselwhite was 18 when he travelled up Hwy. 51 to Chicago to really learn the blues — at the feet of masters like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter and John Lee Hooker.
“They were supportive of me, encouraging and accepting. Muddy Waters always had me sit in with him, and Howlin’ Wolf, (too),” he said, prior to a Saturday, Sept. 6 appearance at the Southside Shuffle Port Credit Blues & Jazz Festival. “They were real open and friendly. I wish I paid more attention.”
A smokin’ blues harp player (and singer), Musselwhite moved to San Francisco in the mid-1960s. And he soon earned widespread notoriety of his own with his lauded 1969 debut album, Stand Back: Here Comes Charlie Musselwhite’s Southside Band.
More than four decades later, he still lives the life of a bluesman, playing 200 dates a year.
“It’s a good life. It’s not an easy life, but it’s still really rewarding,” he drawls, down the line from a harmonica convention in St. Louis. “I enjoy it. All the people can’t come to my home, so I have go out there.”
With bassist Mike Phillips, drummer June Core and guitarist Matt Stubbs, he will delve into his back catalogue of 20-plus albums, do his own interpretations of some blues standards, and “maybe some tunes nobody never heard before.”
“I do like to experiment and keep it interesting,” he said. “If I keep it interesting for myself, there’s going to be some people who find it interesting, too. I don’t stick to a straightforward blues. I might throw in some jazz or Brazilian music.”
His 2004 release, Delta Hardware, was a watershed recording, winning four 2007 Blues Music Awards including Best Album. Ranging from the smokey party groove of Church Is Out to his sobering address of Hurricane Katrina’s wrath, Black Water, this is blues folk rock at its best, recalling artists like J.J. Cale and Greg Brown.
Musselwhite, 65, has earned 14 W.C. Handy Awards and six Grammy nominations over the years. More recently, he has guested with hip stars like Ben Harper, Bonnie Raitt, INXS and Tom Waits.
“I’ve done lots with Tom. He’s a neighbour of mine (in Sonoma County, California), he said. “We get together for dinner, and we laugh and tell stories. We’ve known each other since we both enjoyed alcohol.”
He also appears in the upcoming horror movie, Pig Hot.
“It’s about a 300-pound wild killer pig. I would say it’s not for the whole family,” he said with a laugh. “I have some lines. You will hear some harmonica.”
Charlie Musselwhite plays the Memorial Park Main Stage at 8:30 p.m., appearing after Fathead (7 p.m.), and before The Funk Brothers (10 p.m.). Admission costs $20 at the gate or $40 for a weekend pass.

Visit www.southsideshuffle.com.
onlinenews@mississauga.net