Yoonseok Lee joins me on episode 141.

Yoonseok is from South Korea where he first took up the tremolo harmonica. He discovered the chromatic when he heard Sigmund Groven playing at the Asia Pacific Festival in 2004, and started taking lessons with Sigmund. This culminated in Yoonseok studying at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo with Sigmund as his professor.

Returning to South Korea in 2020, he enjoys a successful career as a freelance chromatic player, and returns to Norway to teach at a yearly harmonica summer camp.

Yoonseok has released two albums so far, with many of the pieces arranged by himself, and also songs he has composed for the chromatic harmonica.

Links:

Yoonseok's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/yoonseok.lee2/

Linktree: http://linktr.ee/yoonseokl

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoonseok_hca/

Buy Harmonica Recital album: https://baro7.com/products/yoonseok-lee-2nd-album-harmonica-recital

Videos:

Yoonseok's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/YoonseokLee_HARMONICA

A young Yoonseok playing tremolo harmonica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1CYScJ3VO4

Playing James Moody’s Toledo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78ezOpAGh98&list=RD78ezOpAGh98

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py62lXF0Xiw

Moonlight music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiF2o0WSIuQ

Playing with a harpist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM4v1qc4s1w

Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
--------------------------------
Blue Moon Harmonicas: https://bluemoonharmonicas.com

Support the show

Liam Ward joins me on episode 140.

Liam is from the north west of England and first took up the harmonica in his late teens. His youthful zeal turned into his career when he chose to become a full-time harmonica player over becoming a school teacher. Liam plays in numerous bands, including his own band, two duos and in an Oasis tribute band. In addition to the harmonica he also plays various jug band instruments including the musical saw, washboard, spoons and the Irish bones.

Liam runs one of the most popular online tuition sites: LearnTheHarmonica.com, which he started in 2014. He is also a regular workshop leader at harmonica camps, teaching at the EuroBlues week and the Hohner festival in Trossingen in 2025. And he has recently been selected as the face of the Hohner Blues Harp.

Links:

Liam’s website: https://www.liamwardmusic.com/

Online harmonica school: https://www.learntheharmonica.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/liamwardmusic

The World Harmonica Festival (Hohner): https://worldharmonicafestival.de/

Videos:

Learn The Harmonica YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Learntheharmonica

Liam’s critique of his first recording with Lonesome George: https://youtu.be/JNZvs2Mm-mk?si=Jlo-OCWmR4G4rkGP

Lyndon Anderson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGwAnYpxWT0

Oasis Supernova Tribute Band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JDqWIuwKbQ

Liam playing the Fat Tone amp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ilXKHh2r6I

Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
--------------------------------
Blue Moon Harmonicas: https://bluemoonharmonicas.com

Support the show

Tom Ball, Peter ‘Madcat’ Ruth and Michael ‘Mudcat’ Ward join me on episode 139 for a retrospective on Walter Horton.

Walter was likely born on April 6th, 1918, in Horn Lake, Mississippi.

He probably made his first recordings in 1939 with Little Buddy Doyle but it wasn’t until the early 1950s that he started recording regularly. After making some early cuts under the name Mumbles, he made numerous recordings as a sideman in the 1950s, including the blues harmonica classics Easy and Walking By Myself.

Walter enjoyed a resurgence on the back of the blues boom in the 1960s, touring the US and Europe and playing with various bands including the Willie Dixon Allstars, Fleetwood Mac and Johnny Winter.

In the 1970s he made some more albums under his own name, including with the Johnny Nicholas band, and also appeared on the Grammy winning Muddy Waters album, I’m Ready.

Big Walter played up until his death on December 8th, 1981, and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame the following year. And without doubt left his legacy as one of the greatest blues harmonica players of all time.

Links:

Discography by Stefan Wirz: https://www.wirz.de/music/horton.htm

Information on Big Walter: https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/horton-walter

Bob Corritore photo gallery: https://bobcorritore.com/photos/big-walter-horton-photos/

Videos:

Hard Hearted Woman, States Records: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89P8ZMfTHfk

Solo recording from Germany: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6RkAlhX7fg

Walter ‘appearing’ in The Blues Brothers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUUyFrHERpU

Walter Horton discusses using his hands in Ronnie Earl’s apartment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX0Eu5Lqexc

Playing That Aint It & Down Yonder with Ronnie Earl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FghNW94YUaM&t=90s

Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
--------------------------------
Blue Moon Harmonicas: https://bluemoonharmonicas.com

Support the show