Waldo Burgoyne (December 18, 1891 - June 5, 1960) photo courtesy of Ray Grieve. Waldo was indeed a magnificent mouth organ exponent racking up a life time of trophies and achievements. He was runner up to the legendary P C Spouse in the Australian Championships at South Street Ballarat in 1927. Later he would go … Continue reading Waldo the Magnificent
This certainly is Ollie! The lot of the session musician - as told to Harmonica Riff Raff by Steve Williams……. In 1993 I got a call from Doug at Toybox, a little studio in Northcote, for a harmonica session. He said it was a weird one. The artist, a Dutch chimney sweep called Bill Cook … Continue reading Harley & Harp
Ruffled Feathers - Ol’ Shep (with special guests Zach Grace & Lachlan - Young’un Shep) Stream/Buy here Ruffled Feathers How to follow up my first hit (well huge in Biddleonia) Locomotive Weave, which uses a train rhythm as its basis? Well why not another ol’ timey harmonica piece - a fox chase. Although only loosely … Continue reading Home To Roost
Two floors above the butcher, first door on the right Life filled to the brim as I stood by my window And looked out on those, Brooklyn Roads Thought of going back. Neil did! Neil at his childhood abode’s entrance. Then looking out on Brooklyn Roads many years later. I can still recall the smells … Continue reading Church Avenue
Jack Harrison (1931 - 2013) My son found this beauty in an op shop for me. Western Australian Jack Harrison was a music prodigy from the age of five when he first blew melodies from the ten hole diatonic mouth organ. One year later Jackie, as he was known, presented his talent to radio 6PR’s … Continue reading ‘Huckleberry’ Harp Hound
Charles Porter blowing his Crackajack upside down (Photograph- Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy ACP Magazines Ltd). The origins of this dissertation came about due to the discovery of this newspaper report from 1933 (see below) that expounded Charles Porter’s upside down technique in drinking beer and playing the harmonica. It … Continue reading Over Under Sideways Down Hey!
Melbourne Ladies Crackajack Mouth Organ Band With permission from Ray Grieves ‘Band in a Waistcoat Pocket’ Melbourne Ladies Crackajack Band at Mr. Harris’ funeral. Thomas Harris died suddenly while playing cricket. He had just been elected President of the Mouth Organ Bands Association that week. Thomas was a cousin of Harold Collier MLCB conductor (from … Continue reading All Crackajackies
Fairlight Festivals 1971 Venue: 200 acre farm (Fairlight) four miles south of Mittagong on the way to Berrima NSW. Set in a gentle sloping clearing divided by a stream. One side set for camping the other music. Stage: An old Sydney tram elevated six feet off the ground with a twenty foot extension out the … Continue reading Fairlight Festival Revisited (or the adventures of the Mittagong Mafia).
Bring back the harmonica in schools. Teach them blues and country licks. Throw out the recorder, ukuleles and triangles! Just saying! Vine Vale School Tanunda (South Australia) Mouth Organ Band 1933 Bulimba (Queensland) State School Girls Mouth Organ Band 1939 Boys of the Buranda (Queensland) School Mouth Organ Band 1937 Orange Grove (New South Wales) … Continue reading Ring Ring Goes The Bell
Popping up in my research a few years back was evidence of the existence of a Jazz Master Chromatic. Victorian Laurie Smith evidently possessed one. A year after publishing this information, so did Canadian collector Doug Dawson. Where did he locate this Australian brand harmonica? Of all places in Sweden. Doug Dawson’s specimen. Recently I … Continue reading Wizard Master Blaster
Harmonica Riff Raff 