Steve Williams (John Farnham Band) was a regular guest on Harmonica Riff Raff, the 3MDR radio show, helping listeners find their way around the instrument with lessons and helpful hints. It was mostly elementary, but at times we headed into territory that was quite sophisticated. One such occasion was introducing the bends on holes three … Continue reading Diving Into The Bends
1925 - Wonthaggi Boomerang Mouth Organ Championship Ballarat & Wonthaggi Mouth Organ Competition advertising Left: Weekly Times Saturday 29 August, 1925. Right: The Sun News-Pictorial Saturday 29 August, 1925. The roaring twenties were in full swing at the seaside town of Wonthaggi and in 1925 the local ANA (Australian Natives Association) Musical & Elocutionary competition … Continue reading Wonthaggi Warblers
Circa 1926? “I am delighted to give my experience as a Mouth Organ player for the last thirty-seven years, making my debut at six years of age. I have played on almost every make of Mouth Organ that has been manufactured, and now I would not play on any Mouth Organ other than a Crackajack. … Continue reading Crack A Duck
Ernest Garibaldi Hosking conjured his inaugural appearance on this mortal coil at the gold mining town of Ballarat in 1861, the seventh child of Samuel Hosking and Mary Hosking. He was a compositor by trade and employed on a ‘spiritist’ newspaper in Melbourne. Ernest was a man of many talents, one of which was the … Continue reading Hosking’s Haunting Harp
Geelong Warders At The Footy The Daily Telegraph, Sydney 15th June, 1931 Things were pretty rosie between inmates and wardens at the Geelong Gaol back in 1931 when the prisoners offered to be locked in their cells an hour earlier than usual to allow more warders to attend the Geelong versus Richmond match. It would … Continue reading Jailhouse Jive
Murtoa born, son of blacksmith Michael, Joe Saunders was a fine harmonica player and bandsman. Joseph Patrick Saunders (1898 - 1977) Before highlighting Joe’s legacy, I would like to clear the air on the claim that he was founder of the first mouth organ band in this country in 1928. This would be a bit … Continue reading No Joe Blow
One of our nation’s finest exponent on the mouth organ was Alfred Leslie Benoit, who was born in Ballarat on the 18th June 1899. To many of his chums he was known as ‘Hooker’. Perhaps a reference to his cricket or boxing prowess. Growing up in the gold fields of Ballarat, he was never far … Continue reading The Kreisler of the Mouth Organ
Her long green tail danced like a surfer. The scales reflecting golden from the sun. As she combs her hair and she sings. You never know where an inspiration for scribing a new article may arise. It was Christmas Eve last year. After our morning stroll down by the creek we hopped back in our … Continue reading Mermaid (& She Sings)
Harold beltin’ out a tune. I’m not keen on penning articles on animals held in captivity. Their exploitation and treatment in the name of our entertainment has never sat well with this author. There are quite a few tales of elephants in Australian captivity that blew the gob iron that I have refused to entertain. … Continue reading ‘Arold Goes AWOL!
(Adelaide News 27 May, 1931) On a crisp May morning in 1931 Emil Marius Ryberg of Mile End, set out riding his ‘pushy’ to cross the State border of South Australia and Victoria on route to the historic gold town of Bendigo. His prime intention was to display his wares in a mouth organ competition, … Continue reading Ryberg’s Ride – Short Snort (Organ) #1
Harmonica Riff Raff 