Harmonica Hinds with Gary Preston Band

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Saturday, July 17th, 2010
7:00 PM to 11:00 PM

Harmonica Hinds has performed in Chicago since the early 1970s, than as part of the house band at the world famous Theresa�s Lounge. Other members of the band included Junior Wells, Sammy Lawhorn, John Primer, Earnest Johnson, Nate Applewhite and Muddy Waters Jr. He and Junior Wells shared the duty of house harmonica player.

Harmonica Hinds has also made appearances on the albums of Koko Taylor, Lefty Dizz, Big Moose Walker, John Primer, Eddie Taylor Jr., and Mud Morganfield. Hinds also had a role as a harmonica player in the Black Ensemble�s Theater production of �Muddy Waters, Hoochie Coochie Man�. As a member of the New Generation of Chicago Blues he has performed in the 1977 Berlin Jazz Festival, 1991 Burnley England Blues Festival, in 1998 Park Tower Blues Festival in Tokyo, Japan and he has also performed at the 14th, 15th, 20th, and 24th Chicago Blues Festival.

Harmonica Hinds has shared the stage with Pinetop Perkins, Willie �Big Eyes� Smith, Louisiana Red, Louis Myers, Dave Myers, Willie Dixon, Magic Slim, Fred Below, Willie Kent and a host of others.

Harmonica Hinds continuously performs solo and with his band throughout venues across the Chicago land area. He can regularly be seen at Buddy Guy�s Legends. His performances remain up-beat and soulful. He remains vibrant and enthusiastic as he sings tunes heavily influenced and taught by Little Walter, Louis Myers, James Cotton, and Sonny Terry. He has just returned from multiple European tours with John Primer band.

Harmonica Hinds can be heard on his latest CD "Harmonica Hinds Finally", with Eddie Taylor Jr. on "From The Country To The City" as well as on John Primer's latest CD "All Original".

Furthermore, an excellent video of Harmonica Hinds with Mud Morganfield Band is on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nLoHnxwBiQ

Here are some reviews of his latest CD "Harmonica Hinds Finally":

Harmonica Hinds combines his experience as a veteran of the harp with the lessons passed to him by other torch bearers of the blues community. His new compact disc entitled Finally is a declaration of a seasoned musician at the height of his career.

This new disc encompasses a traditional yet fun side of the blues often associated with Hinds. Any one of his live performances he can be seen playing a series of instruments all at once, but the disc allows him to focus solely on the two instruments that he has devoted his life to mastering�the harmonica and guitar. And in the arrangement of songs Hinds is backed by an all-star cast, who themselves, have a long-standing familiarity with the Chicago blues circuit. They have also gained the respect of peers in their careers. This solid band stands strong behind the vocals and lead of Hinds.

All of the songs were written, arranged and produced by Hinds. An original treat, traditional and contemporary, composed to keep up with the changing times. In the company of Hinds there lies optimism, a fresh perspective on blues and a renewed dedication to one�s purpose in life. This intimate look into the purpose of one man and his destiny is captured wholeheartedly in this disc.
John W. Fountain, III
Editor Bluesletter
Buddy Guy's Legends


Mervyn "Harmonica" Hinds has been a regular on the Chicago blues scene for over thirty years, with the occasional recording session behind artists such as Koko Taylor, John Primer, and Eddie Taylor Jr., but very little under his own name. This self-produced effort, with Taylor Jr. and Tom Holland on guitars and a first-call rhythm section of bassist Greg McDaniel and drummer Kenny Smith should help to bring some long-merited attention Hinds'way.
The group steps out smartly with the Little Walter-style instrumental Wake The Spirit to open the set before Hinds steps up to the vocal mic on Goin' Down To The River, a brisk shuffle in a Jimmy Reed bag with Taylor Jr. taking his dad's guitar part. The slow blues It's So Cold features some nice Walters-influenced slide but at 8:28 drags on a mite long. Things pick up again with You Got It Good, an instrumental featuring chromatic harp and a distinctive surging beat. Next up is the after hours instrumental Take Your Time, with slide in the Robert Nighthawk/Earl Hooker mode. Stop Complaining takes us back to Eddie Taylor territory before the stripped-down Imelda and an aptly titled Harmonica Hinds Shuffle.The band nails the Howlin' Wolf rhythm of Don't You Steal My Money, with slide from the Elmore James school this time. Hinds turns philosophical on the album's last three cuts, contemplating his mortality on Can't Stay Here For Ever and That Old Dichotomy before finishing with a Connected To The Sun that would not have been out of place on Sun Ra's Saturn label.
This is one of the most enjoyable albums in the classic Chicago blues style to come down the pike lately-let's hope that the title should be taken to mean "finally"as in "at last," and not as in "the last."
Jim DeKoster
LIVING BLUES
ISSUE #198
VOL.39.#6
LIVING BLUES #198 DECEMBER 2008
HARMONICA HINDS Finally


Harmonica Hinds is a fixture at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago, where he often performs solo on acoustic guitar and harmonica. After seeing the cover of Finally-a photo of Hinds blowing harp without a microphone-you expect a laid -back folk-blues set, but the first track, the aptly titled "Wake the Spirit," is a vigorous electric boogie. As soon as you hear the opening note, you know that the five-man band (including Kenny Smith on drums and Eddie Taylor Jr. on guitar) is ready to go to work.
One of the most talented musicians on today's Chicago scene, Hinds has appeared on albums by Koko Taylor, Lefty Dizz, and John Primer. Yet his harmonica work is never mere icing on someone else's cake. Finally adheres to the Fifties Chicago blues tradition, but Hinds clearly appreciates variety: "You Got It Good" sounds like a minor-key theme from an old Western, and on "Take Your Time" and "Can't Stay Here Forever," Smith keeps time on a hi-hat cymbal rather than a full drum kit. The effect is startling in the best way possible, especially considering the latter song's sobering, omnious lyrics, which remind us that we go around only once in this life.
Hinds is a traditionalist, and he's fortunate to work with players who have the same musical values. True to its title, the arrival of this album will make fans of Chicago blues say, "Finally!"
James Porter
BLUES REVUE
ISSUE # 116 FEB/MAR 2009
HARMONICA HINDS Finally


More information on Harmonica Hinds can be found at www.harmonicahinds.com