Elwood’s Blues Breaker: Harmonica Shah

Harmonica Shah was born in Oakland, but spent time in Texas with his grandfather, Sam Dawson, a bluesman recorded by Alan Lomax himself. As a young man selling JET magazine subscriptions, Shah had access to Oakland’s bars and clubs, where he saw all the premiere blues players of the 1950’s. He moved to Detroit, where he worked for the Ford Motor Company, and then as a cab driver. Along the way he picked up a harmonica and started playing at jams.

He played with everybody, and has been releasing his own albums since 2000. His newest is called IF YOU LIVE TO GET OLD, YOU WILL UNDERSTAND. Sounds about right to me. Straight up honest to goodness street level blues. Here is Harmonica Shah. The song is titled… “Congratulations, That New Love You’ve Got Is My Wife.” Got the story? Okay. Let’s listen.

AIR DATES: February 13-14, 2016

Check it out this weekend on Elwood’s BluesMobile Radio Hour