James Harman

Trackimage Playbut Trackname Playbut Trackname
Extra Napkins (Live) 02:29 Tools
Come on and Dance with Me 04:14 Tools
Night Ridin' Daddy 05:18 Tools
Bonetime 09:40 Tools
Swampnight 04:14 Tools
Helsinki Laundromat Blues 09:41 Tools
Back Door Rhumba 07:48 Tools
Coldfront Woman 04:20 Tools
Ain't It Crazy 03:30 Tools
Three-way Party 05:38 Tools
What'cha Gonna Do 'Bout Me #2 04:47 Tools
Harman's Comments 00:42 Tools
Darlin' 04:20 Tools
Double Hogback Growler 04:04 Tools
Stranger Blues 03:30 Tools
(I Am) The World's Badluckest Man 04:47 Tools
Decisions 05:25 Tools
Big Boned Gal 03:06 Tools
Crapshoot 03:41 Tools
Yo' Family (Don't Like Me) 04:48 Tools
Just a Game Goin' On 03:06 Tools
Skeet-A-Little Taste 02:15 Tools
Two Sides To Every Story 04:47 Tools
I Declare 04:35 Tools
Blue Stretchmark Tattoo 04:33 Tools
The Clock Is Tickin' 04:20 Tools
Leavin' For Memphis 03:42 Tools
Bad-Luck Life 04:49 Tools
Miss Bessie Mae Blues 06:05 Tools
Alibi, Reason Why (Sounds Just Like A Lie To Me) 03:47 Tools
Skirt 05:33 Tools
It's Too Late Brother 03:36 Tools
Leavin' Fire 05:23 Tools
Piecework Politicians 05:29 Tools
Lowdown Grown-Up Jive 04:40 Tools
My Secret Escapade 03:06 Tools
Snakes 03:13 Tools
I've Got (So Many Womens) 05:05 Tools
Phonebill Blues 07:08 Tools
Icepick's Confession 04:22 Tools
Jump My Baby 02:43 Tools
Wake-up Call 02:37 Tools
Time Will Tell 05:21 Tools
Crazy Mixed Up World 04:37 Tools
Love Stuff 04:12 Tools
It's Alright Now 02:48 Tools
I'm Gone 03:20 Tools
Gamblin' Blues 03:44 Tools
Old Man Eyes 03:52 Tools
Do Not Disturb 05:08 Tools
Just As Well To Kill Me 04:33 Tools
Modern Numbers Game 04:20 Tools
Five'll Getcha Ten 06:00 Tools
Rags To Riches 03:38 Tools
Lucky Dog 04:28 Tools
Sweet, Sweet Dream 03:33 Tools
Extra Napkins - Live 05:23 Tools
Mo' Napkins 02:35 Tools
Let It Ride 05:04 Tools
Motel King 02:50 Tools
I Got News 03:56 Tools
It's Yo' World (I'm Just Livin' in It Now) 00:00 Tools
Fineprint 02:31 Tools
Read My Mind 04:48 Tools
Dirt Road 03:52 Tools
Lonesome Moon Trance 00:00 Tools
Extra Napkins 02:39 Tools
Icepick's Advice 05:35 Tools
Temporary Blues 05:01 Tools
Got To Call My Baby 02:24 Tools
Frolictime 05:33 Tools
Sparks (Start Flyin') 03:52 Tools
'temporary Blues 05:02 Tools
Hollywood Girls 04:11 Tools
My First Crime 03:41 Tools
At the Flophouse 02:50 Tools
Bad Feets/Bad Hair 03:50 Tools
In With The Grief...In With The Gravy 03:50 Tools
Memory Foam Mattress 02:36 Tools
Ain't That Fine 03:48 Tools
Drive-In Life 03:00 Tools
It's All Right Now 03:48 Tools
Lovesome Moon Trance 03:14 Tools
Annalee 04:01 Tools
All Night Boogie 02:31 Tools
Takin' Chances 05:50 Tools
If You Lose Your Money 03:14 Tools
Too Much Family 02:00 Tools
Party Girl 02:14 Tools
Don't Spoil My View 03:29 Tools
Slam On the Brakes 03:29 Tools
My Little Girl 05:56 Tools
Mad 'Bout Something 04:39 Tools
Cards on the Table 03:50 Tools
Rambler's Blues 03:12 Tools
Hand In Hand 03:21 Tools
Sad To Be Alone 03:12 Tools
What'cha Gonna Do 'Bout Me #1 02:50 Tools
Icepick Boogie 03:27 Tools
Last Clean Shirt 04:19 Tools
Don't You Lie To Me 03:46 Tools
Icepick's Pawnshop Blues 03:09 Tools
A Busy Man (When This Old World Turns It's Back on You) 03:09 Tools
Crazy by Degrees 03:39 Tools
Black Under Black 03:56 Tools
The Fruit of the Poisoned Tree 03:56 Tools
Walk the Streets (Cold and Lonely) 02:36 Tools
A Busy Man 07:40 Tools
Glide 06:42 Tools
A Ticket To The Circus 06:42 Tools
Dirty Work At The Crossroads 03:13 Tools
(Feel Like) Messin' Up 03:36 Tools
Run, Run Tonight 02:39 Tools
The Falcon's Nest 04:07 Tools
School Girl 02:50 Tools
Grindin' Bump 02:50 Tools
Familiarity Breeds Contempt, But Absence Make the Heart Grow Fonder 06:42 Tools
I've Got News 04:38 Tools
I'll Call You 02:48 Tools
Where's My Thang 07:28 Tools
Too Right To Run 04:48 Tools
Second Voyage Of Noah's Ark 06:42 Tools
Cut To The Chase 04:10 Tools
Goatman Holler 07:46 Tools
If the shoe fits (wear it) 04:50 Tools
The clown 03:42 Tools
Tall Skinny Mama 04:50 Tools
The Goat 02:47 Tools
Somebody... (Th'owd Bad Luck on Me) 03:34 Tools
Chump Man Blues 04:32 Tools
After Hours 01:41 Tools
Mo' Na'kins, Please, No. 2 04:31 Tools
A Little Mixed Up 02:30 Tools
Love Jungle 05:12 Tools
The Big Dance 02:46 Tools
Jake Head Boogie 03:42 Tools
( I Got ) So Many Womens 03:36 Tools
Frenzy 02:16 Tools
If That Ain't Love 03:23 Tools
I'm Lookin' Sharp 03:08 Tools
Lock Doctor 04:14 Tools
Somebody...Th'owd Bad Luck On Me 03:34 Tools
Cold Tile Floor 05:10 Tools
Thee Way Party 05:39 Tools
Snatchin' it Back 04:05 Tools
Bad Feets Bad Hair 02:46 Tools
The Twins 02:20 Tools
Torqueflite 727 02:04 Tools
Legs (let the little girl dance) 04:33 Tools
Everybody's Rockin' (At the Zoo Bar) 02:48 Tools
Cornbread 03:19 Tools
You're Gone 04:52 Tools
Is It Yes 02:16 Tools
That's not your baby 05:16 Tools
Blues Walked In 06:58 Tools
My Baby's Gone 03:36 Tools
It’s Too Late Brother 03:36 Tools
Titel 10 03:23 Tools
Titel 14 03:23 Tools
Titel 13 03:23 Tools
Mo' Na'kins, Please, No. 1 02:50 Tools
The Four Questions #1 05:13 Tools
Find You A Love 05:13 Tools
Kiss Of Fire 05:13 Tools
Won't Be Going Again 05:13 Tools
Voodoo Love 05:13 Tools
Leavin' for Memphis (Crickets and Frogs) 03:37 Tools
Mad About Something 04:52 Tools
Black & White 04:26 Tools
Titel 12 04:26 Tools
Valdez in the Country 02:50 Tools
Sparks 06:58 Tools
Black And White 04:26 Tools
Won´t Be Going´Again 02:50 Tools
Titel 11 02:50 Tools
By Yourself Dance 06:40 Tools
Leavin´For Memphis 02:50 Tools
To Much Family 02:03 Tools
Got News 04:38 Tools
Tall Skinny Mama (Icepick's Story) 07:28 Tools
Killer Joe 07:28 Tools
(I am) The World_s Badluckest Man 07:26 Tools
Seven Come Eleven 07:26 Tools
Darlin' - Live 03:59 Tools
Second Voyage of Noah's Ark (Crickets and Frogs) 04:38 Tools
Walk The Streets 04:38 Tools
Where's My Thang? 07:29 Tools
500 Miles High 07:26 Tools
The Four Questions #2 05:33 Tools
Chumpman Blues 05:33 Tools
Mo' Na'kins, Please! #2 02:57 Tools
Jake-Head Boogie 05:33 Tools
The Four Questions, No. 2 05:33 Tools
It´s Alright Now 05:33 Tools
Tall Skinny Mama (Icepick's Story #389) 07:26 Tools
Sometimes... (The Rules Just Don't Apply) 04:39 Tools
Alibi, Reason Why 03:47 Tools
Smile 07:26 Tools
I've Been Lovin' You 07:26 Tools
Mo' Napkins - Live 02:39 Tools
The Four Questions, No. 1 05:13 Tools
By-Yourself Dance 05:13 Tools
So Tired 'O Travelin (Suitcase Blues) 04:07 Tools
It's Yo' World 06:43 Tools
Bad Feets_Bad Hair 06:43 Tools
Intro 07:26 Tools
So Tired 'O Travelin' (Suitcase Blues) 07:26 Tools
Takin' Chance 05:50 Tools
One Day Like This 07:26 Tools
Somebody... Th'owd Bad Luck on Me 07:26 Tools
Chega De Saudade 07:28 Tools
Merry-Go-Round 07:28 Tools
The Four Questions 07:28 Tools
No Count Dollar 07:26 Tools
Titel 17 07:26 Tools
I've Got (so Many Womens) - Live 05:09 Tools
Wake Up Call 05:09 Tools
Schoolgirl 05:09 Tools
Lowdown Grown-Up Live 07:28 Tools
Mo' Na'kins, Please! #1 02:50 Tools
Son of Mr. Green Genes 05:50 Tools
It's Alright Now - Live 02:54 Tools
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JAMES HARMAN (1946.06.08/Anniston, AL - ) is one of the leading white harmonica players on America's west coast. Harman's love of the instrument was instilled in him by his father. His father's Hohner harmonicas were in the piano bench, and he would play them after his piano lessons. He experimented with other instruments as well, including guitar, organ, bass and drums, performing solo and with family members at dances and country suppers. He found the blues early in life, both on black radio and on the street corner: "Radio" Johnson, a local blind street singer who played slide guitar with a knife, was an early influence and collaborator. As a youngster in Alabama, James played with a local blues musician named Radio Johnson, and bought R&B records. By the age of 16 he had launched his own band and subsequently recorded a number of singles and albums with various ensembles, including Soul Senders, Snakedoctor, King James And The Royals, the Icehouse Blues Band and Icepick James And The Rattlesnakes. In 1970 Harman moved to southern California and had to abandon music for some years due to health problems. He did not refrain from playing music for long, and in the late 70s he formed the James Harman Band, going on to make acclaimed recordings for the Rivera and Rhino labels before graduating to Black Top Records at the start of the 90s. He recorded some of his best studio work for this label, including 1991's Do Not Disturb and 1995's Black & White. Later recordings have appeared on the Cannonball and Pacific Blue labels. Harman, who by the start of the new millennium resembled Gandalf (from Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings) with his extraordinary white beard, is an imposing sight to watch perform. He is a fine singer and harmonica player whose approach to the blues is one of fun and enjoyment. Harman's professional career began in 1962 after moving to Panama City, FL. Soon after the move, he discovered like-minded friends, who invited him to black nightclubs to see such performers as Little Junior Parker, Jimmy Reed, Little Milton Campbell, Slim Harpo, Bobby Bland, O.V. Wright, B.B. King, Otis Redding, Solomon Burke, Joe Tex and James Carr. He began hanging out on a regular basis and was eventually asked to sit in by local house bands, becoming known as "that boy who sings like a man." Encouraged by this acceptance, Harman launched the first of his many rhythm 'n' blues ensembles, using such names as King James and the Royals; Snakedoctor; Disciples of Soul; Disciples of Blues; The Disciples; Voo Doo Daddy; Soul Senders; Pieces of Eight; Kingsnakes; and finally, The Icehouse Blues Band. The buzz surrounding James' live shows attracted talent scouts from several southern record companies. Earl Caldwell, manager of the Swinging Medallions, signed Harman and took him to the Ken-Tel recording studio on Peachtree Street in Atlanta, GA. In 1964, 18-year-old James cut the first of nine regional 45 RPM singles that would appear on five different labels and put him on the road. James toured the eastern half of the country for the rest of the decade, playing radio station dances, fraternity parties, nightclubs, college concerts, after-hours joints, striptease parlors, bottle clubs (in which Harman would play all night, literally, performing six to eight sets of music) and honky tonks. When he wasn't headlining his own show, he was opening for and/or backing the top R&B artists of the day. During the mid 1960s, Harman relocated to Chicago, New York, Miami, and New Orleans, in efforts to find a home for his music. For various reasons, these moves didn't work: In Chicago, the club scene was sewn up tight by Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Charlie Musselwhite and Paul Butterfield. Also, the Windy City, like New York, was just too cold for a Southerner. New Orleans was a violent place, and its music scene at the time consisted of "47 bands on Bourbon Street playing 'Proud Mary,'" Harman recalls, and a ghetto club scene devoted to R&B and soul music. His recorded work seemed to be of no help. Harman did enjoy some success in Miami. He played free "love-ins" from the backs of flatbed trucks for large crowds of hippies, by day. By night, he played such clubs as the Climax or the Jet-Away Lounge. At the latter, he was the first white act to perform and one of the very first to do so with a racially integrated band. Still, opportunities in Miami were limited; even with a history of recording and touring. All that most local bands could hope for was an opening slot on a larger show. So, in 1970, at the advise of his fellow record collector friends, Canned Heat’s Bob Hite, Alan Wilson and Henry Vestine, Harman moved to southern California. Within a month, Harman was performing at the Golden Bear, Troubadour, Ash Grove and Lighthouse, where he and his band were able to play real blues for real blues audiences. Almost immediately, Harman connected with a small community of kindred spirits, such as Rod Piazza, who was leading the band Bacon Fat, Kim "Goleta Slim" Wilson and John "Juke" Logan of the band Brother Chaos. Collectively, these four performers and their bands backed and/or opened for the last great blues artists of an earlier era, both those who lived in the Los Angeles area or visited it while on tour. The "Icehouse Blues Band” featuring James Harman" played one- to six-night stints with the likes of Big Joe Turner, John Lee Hooker, Freddie King, Muddy Waters, Albert King, B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Lloyd Glenn, Lowell Fulsom, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Johnny "Guitar" Watson and Albert Collins. The disco and urban cowboy fads of the late '70s nearly killed club work for blues musicians. Two bouts with bleeding ulcers and two painful divorces almost killed Harman himself! But in 1977 he rebounded to form a new band, with his old piano player, Gene Taylor, using his own name for the first time. The James Harman Band has been a touchstone for notable players, including Phil Alvin and Bill Bateman, who left in 1978 to form the Blasters; "Piano Gene" Taylor, who left in 1981, also to join the Blasters before moving on to the Fabulous Thunderbirds; and David "Kid" Ramos. Ramos played 10 years with Harman, retiring in 1988, return to the blues as guitarist for the Fabulous Thunderbirds, for a time. Alumni also include the late Michael "Hollywood Fats" Mann, who played five years with James after leaving his own band in 1980; multi-instrumentalist session man and tunesmith Jeff Turmes played saxophones with James for years, switching to the bass for six more years beginning in 1988. Alumni drummers include Richard Innes, Stephen T. Hodges and Steve Mugalian and Paul Fasulo to name a few. Along the way, Harman's own production company: Icepick Productions, has generated more than a dozen releases to add to the fifteen he had released before using his own name. These twenty nine releases are the fruit of his forty plus year career, at this point. While Harman continues to perform and record, he also is working on several projects as a producer, a venture that involves longtime production partner Jerry Hall. The pair has worked together since 1971. Hall has engineered every track of every Harman release since that time, and together the pair has produced many other artists. Meanwhile, seventeen songs from James Harman's releases have been featured in films and television, the most famous being "Kiss of Fire" (from Those Dangerous Gentlemens), which was the background for the infamous rape scene in "The Accused" (starring Jodie Foster). James' "Jump My Baby" (from Thank You Baby) has been in three different movies, including "Burning Love." Harman has received 14 W.C. Handy Blues Award nominations, for his songs on his own releases and for other artists albums, such as his friend and alumni “Kid” Ramos. Through the years Harman has received several Handy nominations for “Blues Song of the Year”, “Blues Single of the Year” and even “Re-release of the Year” for the CD reissue of his landmark 1987 album, “Extra Napkins”. James Harman has been inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and won the “Best Blues Album of the Year" award, from Canada's Real Blues Magazine. Harman has performed live shows in 18 countries, as many as 250 dates per year, including appearances at such North American festivals as the Long Beach Blues Festival, the New York State Blues Festival, the Kansas City Blues and Jazz Heritage Festival, the King Biscuit Festival in Helena, AR, the Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle, the Bayfront Blues Festival in Duluth, MN, the Waterfront Festival in Portland, OR, the Edmonton (Canada) Blues Festival, and other festivals from Montreal to Mexico City. Abroad, Harman has appeared at the Peer and Spring Blues Festivals in Belgium, the Notodden and Hell Festivals in Norway, the Great Britain R&B Festival in Colne, England, the Milano and Pistoia Festivals in Italy and the Bayron Bay Festival in Australia, to name a few. In more than four decades of touring and recording, Harman has staked his claim as an original, legitimate blues artist, musician and producer. In his recordings and live performances, James creates music that stands out as unique and personal yet clearly reflects his passion for the roots of the blues. Harman learned a key secret years ago: You have to develop your own approach and identity in order to have lasting success. As vocalist, musician and songwriter, James Harman chronicles life with energy, wit and humor. He has a novelist's eye for detail and irony, and the result is well-conceived music that stands the test of time. Harman's roots are apparent in his recordings and live performances. He is a disciple of the classic qualities of the Southern blues tradition. Still, like his mentors, Harman is telling his own stories. He knows the difference between innovation and imitation, and his own character as a blues artist is fully reflected in his work. In all cases, he remains true to his credo: strictly the blues. Read more on Last.fm. 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