Jim Conway, along with his brother Mic, formed the entertaining, eclectic Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band just before the onset of the seventies. They had enormous success with their second album, ‘Wangaratta Wahine’, which went double gold and peaked at number four on the Australian charts. This was primarily on the back of radio jocks dropping the needle onto the title track and placing it on high rotation. Jim informed HRR Wangaratta Wahine was never released as a 45rpm from the long play disc.
Your Feets Too Big/Wait for Me Juanita and Hernando’s Hideaway/Down Undergroundsville (non album track) were the two singles released prior to the album.
Jim performed and recorded with legendary Australian blues guitarist Dutch Tilders and toured Australia with renowned International artist, Brownie McGhee, after Sonny Terry had passed away. For seventeen years he blew harp for delta blues band, The Backsliders and later fronted his own band, The Big Wheel. Jim is one of our all time greats. Sadly, in 2014, due to his ongoing battle with MS, Jim retired from the circuit.
Like many of Jim’s vintage he was introduced to the humble instrument through John Lennon (The Beatles) and Brian Jones (Rolling Stones). Jim learnt the very basics on the harmonica from his brother-in-law, Carrl Myriad, a fine folk musician in his own right. Carrl also introduced him to the early blues harp masters, Sonny Boy Williamson I (John Lee) and Hammie Nixon.
Jim enlightened HRR that the harmonica played him rather than the vice versa. His tip for aspiring harmonica players; “find the secret of bending notes. This is the basis of your whole vocabulary as a harmonica exponent”.
Check it out (where does our time go); Mobile Line (Captain Matchbox), Going Down Slow (Dutch Tilders) & You Three (The Backsliders).
And the Spring Hill county breakdown's on my mind I guess I never had the time before to open up old memory's door since I became a man Mmmm-hmmm now I can
One of Jim’s many session recordings was on Brian Cadd’s Spring Hill County Breakdown. I cannot recall too many tunes of Brian’s that included the mouth harp. There is this one, from his 1974 album ‘Moonshine’ that features legendary Jim Conway blowin’ country licks left, right and centre with harps in three different keys.
Play along with the solo here on a ‘D’ harp then, when the key modulates, switch to an ‘Eb’ already sandwiched in your hand.
Just after the tune begins (at the twenty two second mark), Jim appears to be high note riffin’ in first position, on an ‘A’ harp.
If you haven’t already, wrap your lug holes around Brian’s hits; A Little Ray Of Sunshine, Ginger Man, Show Me The Way and Let Go.
Other session tunes you should treat your aural pathways to are; Three Rivers Hotel by Johnny Chester, Without You by Shane Howard and We Ran Across The Sky by Mandu.
Hear my interview with Jim back in my radio daze.
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Harmonica Riff Raff 