Search - Sonny Terry :: His Mouth Harp

This 1999 reissue will be a treat for those who only know Sonny Terry's duo work with partner Brownie McGhee. Not that it's a huge departure, but Terry was always the coarser, more visceral performer and for this reason it's a welcome change to have him center stage. Alec Seward provides the spare understated guitar support on this 1953 obscurity, but it's Terry's show all the way through. His acrobatic harmonica and accompanying vocal whoops are rightfully what made him famous, but his thick, grainy singing voice and primal, organic vocal delivery are nearly as powerful. Here he tackles a few tunes from the country-blues tradition, notably "John Henry" and "The Fox Chase" (the latter inspired, like much of Terry's work, by the old Grand Ole Opry harp player DeFord Bailey), plus an endearing ode to his old pal Leadbelly. --Marc Greilsamer