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Biography
Infobox musical artist|image = Charlie Musselwhite 7-16-03.jpg|name = Charlie Musselwhite|caption =|image_size =|background = solo_singer|birth_name = Charles Douglas Musselwhite|alias = Memphis Charlie|birth_date = Birth date and age|1944|1|31|death_date =|origin = Kosciusko, Mississippi , United States |instrument = Harmonica , guitar , Human voice|vocals |genre = Electric blues ,cite book| first= Paul| last= Du Noyer| year= 2003| title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music| edition= 1st| publisher= Flame Tree Publishing| location= Fulham, London| isbn= 1-904041-96-5| page= 181 blues rock , southern rock , country blues |occupation = Musician , singer , songwriter |years_active = 1967& ndash;present|label = Vanguard Records|Vanguard , Arhoolie Records|Arhoolie , Capitol Records|Capitol , Crystal Clear, Kicking Mule Records|Kicking Mule , Blue Rock'It, Alligator Records|Alligator , Virgin Records|Virgin , Real World Records|Real World , Narada Productions|Narada |associated_acts =|website = http://www.charliemusselwhite.com/|current_members =|past_members =|notable_instruments =Charlie Musselwhite (born January 31, 1944) is an United States|American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader, one of the non-black bluesmen who came to prominence in the early 1960s, along with Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield . Though he has often been identified as a "white bluesman",cite book | title = Incurable Blues: The Troubles & Triumph of Blues Legend Hubert Sumlin | first = Will | last = Romano | publisher = Backbeat Books | year = 2005 | isbn = 0879308338 | page = 80 | url = http://books.google.com/books? id=mUn5sz5RWRwC& pg=PA79& dq=%22white+bluesman%22+%22Charlie+Musselwhite%22& client=firefox-a#PPA80,M1 he claims Native American heritage. Musselwhite was reportedly the inspiration for Dan Aykroyd 's character in the Blues Brothers .cite web|last=Dees |first=Leslie N. |url= http://www.starherald.net/breakingnews/local_story_022170328.html |title=Kosciusko to be featured on Blues Trail » Local News » starherald.net - Kosciusko, MS |publisher=starherald.net |date= |accessdate=2011-12-30
Biography
Childhood
Charles Douglas Musselwhite was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi , United States . He has said that he is of Choctaw descent, and he was born in a region originally inhabited by the Choctaw. However, in a 2005 interview, he said his mother had told him he was actually Cherokee .cite web|url= http://harmonica-musician.com/charlie_musselwhite.htm |title=Charlie Musselwhite |publisher=Harmonica-musician.com |date=1944-01-31 |accessdate=2011-12-30
His family considered it normal to play music, with his father playing guitar and harmonica, his mother playing piano, and a relative who was a one-man band. At the age of three, Musselwhite moved to Memphis, Tennessee . When he was a teenager, Memphis experienced the period when rockabilly , western swing , and electric blues and other forms of African American music were combining to give birth to rock and roll . The period featured Elvis Presley , Jerry Lee Lewis , and Johnny Cash , as well as lesser known musicians such as Gus Cannon , Furry Lewis , Will Shade , and Johnny Burnette . Musselwhite supported himself by digging ditches, laying concrete and running moonshine in a 1950 Lincoln automobile. This environment was Musselwhite's school for music as well as life, and he acquired the nickname "Memphis Charlie."Citation needed|date=February 2007
Career
In true bluesman fashion, Musselwhite then took off in search of the rumored "big-paying factory jobs" up the "Hillbilly Highway", the U.S. Route 51|Highway 51 to Chicago, where he continued his education on the South Side, Chicago|South Side , making the acquaintance of even more legends including Lew Soloff , Muddy Waters , Junior Wells , Sonny Boy Williamson II|Sonny Boy Williamson , Buddy Guy , Howlin' Wolf , Little Walter , and Big Walter Horton . Musselwhite immersed himself completely in the musical life, living in the basement of, and occasionally working at Jazz Record Mart (the record store operated by Delmark Records founder Bob Koester ) with Big Joe Williams and working as a driver for an exterminator, which allowed him to observe what was happening around the city's clubs and bars. He spent his time hanging out at the Jazz Record Mart at the corner of State and Grand and the nearby bar, Mr. Joe's, with the city's blues musicians, and sitting in with Big Joe Williams and others in the clubs, playing for tips. There he forged a lifelong friendship with John Lee Hooker ; though Hooker lived in Detroit, Michigan, the two often visiting each other, and Hooker served as best man at Musselwhite's third marriage. Gradually Musselwhite became well known around town.
In time, Musselwhite led his own blues band, and, after Elektra Records ' success with Paul Butterfield , he released the legendary '' Stand Back& #33; Here Comes Charley Musselwhite's Southside Band '' album in 1966 on Vanguard Records (as "Charley Musselwhite"), to immediate and great success.cite book | title = Legends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists | first = Pete | last = Prown | coauthors = Harvey P. Newquist, Jon F. Eiche | publisher = Hal Leonard Corporation | year = 1997 | isbn = 0793540429 | url = http://books.google.com/books? id=60Jde3l7WNwC& pg=PA42& dq=Stand+Back!+Here+Comes+Charlie+Musselwhite%27s+Southside+Band& client=firefox-a | page = 42cite book | title = More Blues Singers: Biographies of 50 Artists from the Later 20th Century | first = David | last = Dicaire | publisher = McFarland | year = 2002 | isbn = 0786410353 | page = 67 | url = http://books.google.com/books? id=3E3pGRLc1L8C& pg=PA67& dq=Stand+Back!+Here+Comes+Charlie+Musselwhite%27s+Southside+Band& client=firefox-a | quote = The seminal ''Stand Back& #33; Here Comes Charlie Musselwhite's Southside Blues Band was a thrilling album and successfully ushered him into the blues fold. He took advantage of the clout this album gave him to move to San Francisco, where, instead of being one of many competing blues acts, he held court as the king of the blues in the exploding countercultural music scene, an exotic and gritty figure to the flower children. Musselwhite even convinced Hooker to move out to California.
Since then, Musselwhite has released over 20 albums, as well as guesting on albums by many other musicians, such as Bonnie Raitt 's Longing in Their Hearts and The BlindBoys of Alabama 's Spirit of the Century , both winners of Grammy awards. He also appeared on Tom Waits ' Mule Variations and INXS ' SuicideBlonde . He himself has won 14 W. C. Handy Award s and six Grammy nominations, as well as Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Monterey Blues Festival and the San Javier Jazz Festival in San Javier, Spain, and the Mississippi Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts .
Unfortunately, Musselwhite, as with many of his peers, fell into alcoholism, and by his own admissionCitation needed|date=February 2007, he had never been on stage sober until after he stopped drinking entirely in 1987.
In 1990 Musselwhite signed with Alligator Records , a step that led to a resurgence of his career.
In 1998, Musselwhite appeared in the film Blues Brothers 2000 . He provided the harmonica position in the super-ensemble The Louisiana Gator Boys , which also featured many other rhythm and blues legends such as B.B. King , Bo Diddley , Eric Clapton , Koko Taylor , Jimmie Vaughan , Dr. John , and Jack DeJohnette .
Over the years, Musselwhite has branched out in style. His 1999 recording, Continental Drifter , is accompanied by Cuarteto Patria , from Cuba's Santiago region, the Cuban music analog of the Mississippi Delta . Because of the political differences between Cuba and the United States, the album was recorded in Bergen, Norway, with Musselwhite's wife ironing out all the details.
Musselwhite believes the key to his musical success was finding a style where he could express himself. He has said, "I only know one tune, and I play it faster or slower, or I change the key, but it’s just the one tune I’ve ever played in my life. It’s all I know." http://www.bluesinlondon.com/feat_musselwhite.html Interview with Charlie Musselwhite
His past two albums, Sanctuary (Charlie Musselwhite album)|Sanctuary and Delta Hardware have both been released on Real World Records .
Musselwhite plays on Tom Waits ' 1999 album Mule Variations . He can be heard at the beginning of the song "Chocolate Jesus" saying "I love it". Waits has mentioned that he feels this is his favorite part of the song.cite web | year = 2006 | url = http://www.keeslau.com/TomWaitsSupplement/Lyrics/Mulevariations/Chocolatejesus-ub.htm | title = LYRICS: Mule Variations: Chocolate Jesus | publisher = Tom Waits Supplement | author = Hartmans, P. | accessdate = June 17, 2006 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20061104095531/ http://www.keeslau.com/TomWaitsSupplement/Lyrics/Mulevariations/Chocolatejesus-ub.htm |archivedate = November 4, 2006
In 2002, he featured on the Bo Diddley tribute album Hey Bo Diddley - A Tribute! , performing the song " Hey Bo Diddley ".
Musselwhite lost both of his elderly parents in December 2005, in separate incidents. His mother, Ruth Maxine Musselwhite, was murdered.cite web | year = 2006 | url = http://www.arkansasleader.com/2006/01/from-publisher-staffers-see-too-many.html | title = Staffers see too many relatives die | publisher = The Arkansas Leader | author = Publisher's editorial | accessdate = May 26, 2007
Musselwhite joined the 10th annual The Independent Music Awards|Independent Music Awards judging panel to assist independent musicians' careers. http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/imajudges2010.asp Independent Music Awards - 2010 Judges http://miccontrolblog.com/2009/05/27/the-independent-music-awards-announces-judges-for-9th-annual-imas/ MicControl http://top40-charts.com/news/Charts-Awards/She-& -Him-The-Black-Keys-Mark-Hoppus-Aimee-Mann-And-Bettye-LaVette-Join-Judging-Panel-For-The-9th-Annual-Independent-Music-Awards/48785.html Top40-Charts.com He was also a judge for the 7th and 9th Independent Music Awards. http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/pastjudges.asp Independent Music Awards - Past Judges
Charlie Musselwhite was inducted into the Blues hall of fame|Blues Hall of Fame in 2010.
Discography
1967 '' Stand Back& #33; Here Comes Charley Musselwhite's Southside Band (Vanguard)
Allmusic|class=album|id=r833789|pure_url=yes Allmusic.com review of Delta Hardware CD
http://www.staytunedtv.com/subpagetemplate.php? art_id=28 Video of interview and performance clip
Persondata | NAME =Musselwhite, Charlie | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = United States|American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader | DATE OF BIRTH =January 31, 1944 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Kosciusko, Mississippi , United States | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Musselwhite, Charlie Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:American bandleaders Category:American blues harmonica players Category:Blues musicians from Mississippi Category:Harmonica blues musicians Category:American Southern Rock musicians Category:Blues rock musicians Category:Country blues musicians Category:Real World artists Category:People from Kosciusko, Mississippi Category:Vanguard Records artists Category:American people of Cherokee descent Category:Native American musicians
