Showing posts with label Mark Hummel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mark Hummel. Show all posts

Saturday, September 12, 2026

Mark Hummel • Unplugged-Back Porch Music



Biography:
Harmonica player, songwriter, and singer Mark Hummel is a practitioner of the West Coast blues style, which typically includes elements of jazz and swing. A seasoned bandleader, Hummel achieved wider recognition through nearly constant touring. Hummel was born in New Haven, Connecticut but raised in Los Angeles, California. He became fascinated with the blues-rock of Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and the Rolling Stones. After seeing songwriter credits on the albums, he began to dig further back into those bands' blues roots. He began playing harmonica in his teens in order to be different from the huge pack of guitar players in his high school. Hummel studied the styles of the Chicago-based players, including James Cotton, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Walter "Shakey" Horton, and Little Walter Jacobs. Hummel moved to Berkeley, California in 1972 and played with local bluesmen there, including Boogie Jake, Cool Papa, Johnny Waters, and Sonny Lane. After graduating high school, he hitchhiked around the country for three years, making stops in New Orleans, Boston, and Chicago to learn from those cities' top players.

In 1980, he formed the Blues Survivors, subsequently performed at numerous blues festivals around the U.S., including the Chicago Blues Festival and the San Francisco Blues Festival. Hummel has released a number of self-produced albums around his Oakland, California home, including Playing in Your Town (1985, Rockinitis Records), Up & Jumpin' (with Canadian guitarist Sue Foley, 1989-1990), and Hard Lovin' (1992, Double Trouble Records). His widely available albums include Feel Like Rockin' (1994, Flying Fish Records), Married to the Blues (1995, Flying Fish), and Heart of Chicago (1997, Tone-Cool/Rounder), an album recorded in Chicago on which Hummel was accompanied by some veteran Chicago sidemen, including drummer Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, guitarist Dave Myers, and producer/guitarist Steve Freund. Considered one of the top harmonica players in the U.S., Hummel has also judged and played in the Hohner Harmonica World Championships, held in Germany; he issued Low Down to Uptown in 1998. Golden State Blues was next, released on new label Electro-Fi with support from Hummel's usual backing band, the Blues Survivors. Retro-Active followed early in 2010.
by Richard Skelly
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mark-hummel-mn0000234508/biography

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Biografía:
Armonicista, compositor y cantante Mark Hummel es un practicante del estilo blues de la Costa Oeste, que típicamente incluye elementos de jazz y swing. Como experimentado director de banda, Hummel logró un amplio reconocimiento a través de giras casi constantes. Hummel nació en New Haven, Connecticut, pero se crió en Los Ángeles, California. Se fascinó con el blues-rock de Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Big Brother and the Holding Company, y los Rolling Stones. Después de ver los créditos de los compositores en los álbumes, comenzó a profundizar en las raíces del blues de esas bandas. Empezó a tocar la armónica en su adolescencia para diferenciarse del gran grupo de guitarristas de su instituto. Hummel estudió los estilos de los guitarristas de Chicago, incluyendo a James Cotton, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Walter "Shakey" Horton y Little Walter Jacobs. Hummel se mudó a Berkeley, California, en 1972 y tocó con los bluesmen locales allí, incluyendo Boogie Jake, Cool Papa, Johnny Waters, y Sonny Lane. Después de graduarse de la escuela secundaria, hizo autostop por todo el país durante tres años, haciendo paradas en Nueva Orleans, Boston y Chicago para aprender de los mejores jugadores de esas ciudades.

En 1980, formó el grupo Blues Survivors, y posteriormente actuó en numerosos festivales de blues en los Estados Unidos, incluyendo el Festival de Blues de Chicago y el Festival de Blues de San Francisco. Hummel ha publicado varios álbumes autoproducidos en su casa de Oakland, California, entre los que se encuentran Playing in Your Town (1985, Rockinitis Records), Up & Jumpin' (con la guitarrista canadiense Sue Foley, 1989-1990) y Hard Lovin' (1992, Double Trouble Records). Sus álbumes ampliamente disponibles incluyen Feel Like Rockin' (1994, Flying Fish Records), Married to the Blues (1995, Flying Fish), y Heart of Chicago (1997, Tone-Cool/Rounder), un álbum grabado en Chicago en el que Hummel fue acompañado por algunos veteranos de Chicago, incluyendo el baterista Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, el guitarrista Dave Myers, y el productor/guitarrista Steve Freund. Considerado uno de los mejores intérpretes de armónica de los Estados Unidos, Hummel también ha sido jurado y ha tocado en los Campeonatos Mundiales de Armónica de Hohner, celebrados en Alemania; publicó Low Down to Uptown en 1998. El siguiente paso fue el Golden State Blues, lanzado en el nuevo sello Electro-Fi con el apoyo de la banda de respaldo habitual de Hummel, los Blues Survivors. Retro-Active siguió a principios de 2010.
por Richard Skelly
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mark-hummel-mn0000234508/biography


 




https://markhummel.com/
 
 
 

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Mark Hummel & The Blues Survivors • Playin' In Your Town



Harmonica player, songwriter, and singer Mark Hummel is a practitioner of the West Coast blues style, which typically includes elements of jazz and swing. A seasoned bandleader, Hummel achieved wider recognition through nearly constant touring. Hummel was born in New Haven, Connecticut but raised in Los Angeles, California. He became fascinated with the blues-rock of Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and the Rolling Stones. After seeing songwriter credits on the albums, he began to dig further back into those bands' blues roots. He began playing harmonica in his teens in order to be different from the huge pack of guitar players in his high school. Hummel studied the styles of the Chicago-based players, including James Cotton, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Walter "Shakey" Horton, and Little Walter Jacobs. Hummel moved to Berkeley, California in 1972 and played with local bluesmen there, including Boogie Jake, Cool Papa, Johnny Waters, and Sonny Lane. After graduating high school, he hitchhiked around the country for three years, making stops in New Orleans, Boston, and Chicago to learn from those cities' top players.

In 1980, he formed the Blues Survivors, subsequently performed at numerous blues festivals around the U.S., including the Chicago Blues Festival and the San Francisco Blues Festival. Hummel has released a number of self-produced albums around his Oakland, California home, including Playing in Your Town (1985, Rockinitis Records), Up & Jumpin' (with Canadian guitarist Sue Foley, 1989-1990), and Hard Lovin' (1992, Double Trouble Records). His widely available albums include Feel Like Rockin' (1994, Flying Fish Records), Married To The Blues (1995, Flying Fish), and Heart of Chicago (1997, Tone-Cool/Rounder), an album recorded in Chicago on which Hummel was accompanied by some veteran Chicago sidemen, including drummer Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, guitarist Dave Myers, and producer/guitarist Steve Freund. Considered one of the top harmonica players in the U.S., Hummel has also judged and played in the Hohner Harmonica World Championships, held in Germany; he issued Low Down to Uptown in 1998. Golden State Blues was next, released on new label Electro-Fi with support from Hummel's usual backing band, the Blues Survivors. Retro-Active followed early in 2010. ~Biography by Richard Skelly

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El músico, cantautor y cantante de armónica Mark Hummel es un practicante del estilo de blues de la costa oeste, que generalmente incluye elementos de jazz y swing. Hummel, un líder de banda experimentado, logró un reconocimiento más amplio a través de giras casi constantes. Hummel nació en New Haven, Connecticut, pero se crió en Los Ángeles, California. Se fascinó con el blues-rock de Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Big Brother y The Holding Company, y los Rolling Stones. Después de ver los créditos de los compositores en los álbumes, comenzó a profundizar en las raíces del blues de esas bandas. Comenzó a tocar la armónica en su adolescencia para ser diferente del enorme paquete de guitarristas de su escuela secundaria. Hummel estudió los estilos de los jugadores de Chicago, incluidos James Cotton, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Walter "Shakey" Horton, y Little Walter Jacobs. Hummel se mudó a Berkeley, California en 1972 y tocó con músicos de blues locales allí, como Boogie Jake, Cool Papa, Johnny Waters y Sonny Lane. Después de graduarse de la escuela secundaria, hizo autostop en todo el país durante tres años, haciendo paradas en Nueva Orleans, Boston y Chicago para aprender de los mejores jugadores de esas ciudades.

En 1980, formó The Blues Survivors, posteriormente se presentó en numerosos festivales de blues en los Estados Unidos, incluido el Chicago Blues Festival y el San Francisco Blues Festival. Hummel ha lanzado varios álbumes de producción propia en su casa de Oakland, California, como Playing in Your Town (1985, Rockinitis Records), Up & Jumpin '(con la guitarrista canadiense Sue Foley, 1989-1990) y Hard Lovin' ( 1992, Double Trouble Records). Sus álbumes ampliamente disponibles incluyen Feel Like Rockin '(1994, Flying Fish Records), Married To The Blues (1995, Flying Fish), y Heart of Chicago (1997, Tone-Cool / Rounder), un álbum grabado en Chicago en el que Hummel estuvo acompañado por algunos veteranos veteranos de Chicago, entre ellos el baterista Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, el guitarrista Dave Myers y el productor / guitarrista Steve Freund. Considerado como uno de los mejores jugadores de armónica en los Estados Unidos, Hummel también ha juzgado y jugado en el Campeonato Mundial de Armónica Hohner, celebrado en Alemania; emitió Low Down to Uptown en 1998. Golden State Blues fue el siguiente, lanzado en el nuevo sello Electro-Fi con el apoyo de la banda de apoyo habitual de Hummel, los Blues Survivors. Retro-Active seguido a principios de 2010. ~ Biografía por Richard Skelly


https://markhummel.com/
 

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Mark Hummel • Wayback Machine



Harmonica player, songwriter, and singer Mark Hummel is a practitioner of the West Coast blues style, which typically includes elements of jazz and swing. A seasoned bandleader, Hummel achieved wider recognition through nearly constant touring. Hummel was born in New Haven, Connecticut but raised in Los Angeles, California. He became fascinated with the blues-rock of Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and the Rolling Stones. After seeing songwriter credits on the albums, he began to dig further back into those bands' blues roots. He began playing harmonica in his teens in order to be different from the huge pack of guitar players in his high school. Hummel studied the styles of the Chicago-based players, including James Cotton, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Walter "Shakey" Horton, and Little Walter Jacobs. Hummel moved to Berkeley, California in 1972 and played with local bluesmen there, including Boogie Jake, Cool Papa, Johnny Waters, and Sonny Lane. After graduating high school, he hitchhiked around the country for three years, making stops in New Orleans, Boston, and Chicago to learn from those cities' top players.

In 1980, he formed the Blues Survivors, subsequently performed at numerous blues festivals around the U.S., including the Chicago Blues Festival and the San Francisco Blues Festival. Hummel has released a number of self-produced albums around his Oakland, California home, including Playing in Your Town (1985, Rockinitis Records), Up & Jumpin' (with Canadian guitarist Sue Foley, 1989-1990), and Hard Lovin' (1992, Double Trouble Records). His widely available albums include Feel Like Rockin' (1994, Flying Fish Records), Married To The Blues (1995, Flying Fish), and Heart of Chicago (1997, Tone-Cool/Rounder), an album recorded in Chicago on which Hummel was accompanied by some veteran Chicago sidemen, including drummer Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, guitarist Dave Myers, and producer/guitarist Steve Freund. Considered one of the top harmonica players in the U.S., Hummel has also judged and played in the Hohner Harmonica World Championships, held in Germany; he issued Low Down to Uptown in 1998. Golden State Blues was next, released on new label Electro-Fi with support from Hummel's usual backing band, the Blues Survivors. Retro-Active followed early in 2010. ~Biography by Richard Skelly

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El músico, cantautor y cantante de armónica Mark Hummel es un practicante del estilo de blues de la costa oeste, que generalmente incluye elementos de jazz y swing. Hummel, un líder de banda experimentado, logró un reconocimiento más amplio a través de giras casi constantes. Hummel nació en New Haven, Connecticut, pero se crió en Los Ángeles, California. Se fascinó con el blues-rock de Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Big Brother y The Holding Company, y los Rolling Stones. Después de ver los créditos de los compositores en los álbumes, comenzó a profundizar en las raíces del blues de esas bandas. Comenzó a tocar la armónica en su adolescencia para ser diferente del enorme paquete de guitarristas de su escuela secundaria. Hummel estudió los estilos de los jugadores de Chicago, incluidos James Cotton, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Walter "Shakey" Horton, y Little Walter Jacobs. Hummel se mudó a Berkeley, California en 1972 y tocó con músicos de blues locales allí, como Boogie Jake, Cool Papa, Johnny Waters y Sonny Lane. Después de graduarse de la escuela secundaria, hizo autostop en todo el país durante tres años, haciendo paradas en Nueva Orleans, Boston y Chicago para aprender de los mejores jugadores de esas ciudades.

En 1980, formó The Blues Survivors, posteriormente se presentó en numerosos festivales de blues en los Estados Unidos, incluido el Chicago Blues Festival y el San Francisco Blues Festival. Hummel ha lanzado varios álbumes de producción propia en su casa de Oakland, California, como Playing in Your Town (1985, Rockinitis Records), Up & Jumpin '(con la guitarrista canadiense Sue Foley, 1989-1990) y Hard Lovin' ( 1992, Double Trouble Records). Sus álbumes ampliamente disponibles incluyen Feel Like Rockin '(1994, Flying Fish Records), Married To The Blues (1995, Flying Fish), y Heart of Chicago (1997, Tone-Cool / Rounder), un álbum grabado en Chicago en el que Hummel estuvo acompañado por algunos veteranos veteranos de Chicago, entre ellos el baterista Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, el guitarrista Dave Myers y el productor / guitarrista Steve Freund. Considerado como uno de los mejores jugadores de armónica en los Estados Unidos, Hummel también ha juzgado y jugado en el Campeonato Mundial de Armónica Hohner, celebrado en Alemania; emitió Low Down to Uptown en 1998. Golden State Blues fue el siguiente, lanzado en el nuevo sello Electro-Fi con el apoyo de la banda de apoyo habitual de Hummel, los Blues Survivors. Retro-Active seguido a principios de 2010. ~ Biografía por Richard Skelly


https://markhummel.com/
 

Thursday, April 17, 2025

Mark Hummel • Harmonica Party Vintage Mark Hummel



This album showcases Mark Hummel's Chicago-influenced harp playing on some excellent original tunes, and he reinterprets some classics by Johnny Otis, Jimmy Rogers and Charles Brown. This set is classic Mark Hummel and features West Coast giants Ron Thompson and Rusty Zinn.

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Este álbum muestra el arpa de Mark Hummel con influencia de Chicago tocando algunos excelentes temas originales, y reinterpreta algunos clásicos de Johnny Otis, Jimmy Rogers y Charles Brown. Este conjunto es un clásico de Mark Hummel y cuenta con los gigantes de la costa oeste Ron Thompson y Rusty Zinn.
 
 

https://markhummel.com/
 
 

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Johnny Dyer With Mark Hummel • Rolling Fork Revisited



Biography by AllMusic
b. 1938, Rolling Fork, Mississippi, USA. Dyer took up the harmonica when he was seven and as a teenager sat in with Smokey Wilson in a local club. He moved to Los Angeles in January 1958 and formed his own band, the Blue Notes, backing visitors such as J.B. Hutto, Jimmy Reed and Jimmy Rogers. He later formed a duo with George Smith, at that time still working as Little Walter Jnr. He recorded a couple of singles for Shakey Jake’s Good Time label before cutting an album, Johnny Dyer And The LA Dukes, for Murray Brothers in 1983. Some of the tracks were later issued in Japan by Mina Records. In 1991, William Clarke included him on Hard Times, an anthology of contemporary LA bluesmen. Soon afterwards, he formed the Houserockers with guitarist Rick Homlstrom, who had previously recorded with Clarke, Billy Boy Arnold, Rod Piazza and Smokey Wilson. Listen Up managed to combine Holstrom’s Pee Wee Crayton -influenced technique with Dyer’s more down-home harmonica playing, including an effective version of Little Walter’s ‘Blue Midnight’. Shake It! added pianist Tom Mahon on a set of original songs that encapsulate the hybrid west coast-Chicago style.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/johnny-dyer-mn0000248900/biography

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Biografía de AllMusic
b. 1938, Rolling Fork, Mississippi, Estados Unidos. Dyer empezó a tocar la armónica a los siete años y de adolescente se sentó con Smokey Wilson en un club local. Se trasladó a Los Ángeles en enero de 1958 y formó su propia banda, los Blue Notes, respaldando a visitantes como J.B. Hutto, Jimmy Reed y Jimmy Rogers. Más tarde formó un dúo con George Smith, que por aquel entonces todavía trabajaba como Little Walter Jnr. Grabó un par de singles para el sello Good Time de Shakey Jake antes de grabar un álbum, Johnny Dyer And The LA Dukes, para Murray Brothers en 1983. Algunos de los temas fueron publicados posteriormente en Japón por Mina Records. En 1991, William Clarke lo incluyó en Hard Times, una antología de bluesmen contemporáneos de Los Ángeles. Poco después, formó los Houserockers con el guitarrista Rick Homlstrom, que ya había grabado con Clarke, Billy Boy Arnold, Rod Piazza y Smokey Wilson. Listen Up consiguió combinar la técnica de Holstrom, influenciada por Pee Wee Crayton, con el toque de armónica más casero de Dyer, incluyendo una eficaz versión de "Blue Midnight" de Little Walter. Shake It! añadió al pianista Tom Mahon en un conjunto de canciones originales que encapsulan el estilo híbrido costa oeste-Chicago.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/johnny-dyer-mn0000248900/biography