G'Day Riff Raffers, It's an Australian hop, the Kangaroo hop, but it's also the German hop. Earlier this year I found The Kangaroo mouth organ in of all places Riga, Latvia. I had believed in the beginning that this was manufactured by Seydel for Albert's here down under. In Ray Grieve's magnificent resource book Boomerangs … Continue reading Kangaroo Hop (The Swiss Connection)
G'day Riffers, On a chilly Sunday evening in the winter of 2014 my wife and I had the privilege of attending the Burrinja Cafe here in the Dandenongs (it wasn't raining-only dripping off trees). A local duo transported us back in time to a smoking blues joint in New Mexico called the Golden Inn where … Continue reading Buffalo Blues Burger
The year was 1970 when Rebel, a little known Melbourne record label released two highly significant singles in Australian music history, both featuring the mouth harp of a young Matt Taylor. Rebel was owned by Peter Goodman (a former member of the band The Town Criers) and they would press eleven singles and one long … Continue reading Rebel’s Yell
Hi Riff Raffers, A new, very old harp housed in its original box now resides in my humble collection. Mark Weber has meticulously investigated and reviewed technical aspects of the harp at chromhistory. What follows is an account of my pursuance from world experts on how, when and where this Hohner harp, 'The Up To … Continue reading Chromatically Chromonica Chronologically
Floating on a cloud with a cosmic shroud. Play your music loud Chetarca. "He was one of the pioneers." (Matt Taylor) "Paul was the best harmonica player I had heard and a lovely man with a beautiful soulful voice and a great sense of humour." (Andy Vance) "Paul Lever was a great blues harp player." … Continue reading Paul Langford Lever
Hi Raffers, A quick look at an Australian harmonica box owned by Canadian harmonica collector, Doug Dawson, a couple of record reviews and a link to an article written by Mark Weber about a new addition to my harp collection, which is rewriting Chromatic history, Hohner's very first Chromatic, the Up-To-Date model from 1898! Just … Continue reading Hotel Metropole
Revisiting a tune with a catchy harp riff that's having its thirtieth anniversary and is as good today as it ever was. It continues to mature like a single malt scotch whisky in an old oak barrel. When Scottish group Del Amitri released their single 'Kiss This Thing Goodbye' for the first time the tune … Continue reading Kiss This!
Hello Raffers, Here we go again a track back (or is that a back track) to the Crackajack. Further evidence the manufacturer was F A Rauner. Just a spelling difference for the Straylian market, perhaps. Registered number 28285 appears in a magnificently presented PDF file entitled, 'A Collection Of Early Box Art 1890-1940' by John … Continue reading #28285
Here's a story about a man named Hogan who was busy with five boys of his own, six men all living together, but they were not alone (bit of a mish mash of old TV sitcoms). Just prior to the turn of the twentieth century a young lad raised in the country town of Naracoorte … Continue reading Hogan’s Heroes
Hohner, a world leader in accordion and mouth organ manufacturing, had its share of difficulties in becoming one of the major players in the Australian Mouth Organ market in the early part of the twentieth century. Most models were available in the colonies and they included the popular ‘Up To Date’ and ‘Second To None’ … Continue reading Hohner’s Hollandia (Nova) Harp
Harmonica Riff Raff 