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Mark Hummel Mark Hummel is a road warrior – a true blues survivor. Along the way he has crafted his own trademark harmonica sound – a subtle combination of tone, phrasing and attack combined with a strong sense of swing. We are proud to have Mark on the Electro-Fi label his outstanding releases “Blowin’ My Horn” (E-fi 3386) and “Golden State Blues” (E-fi 3375) along with his earlier albums, constant touring and crowd pleasing appearances at major blues festivals have firmly established his reputation in both North America and Europe. |
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| Born in New Haven, Connecticut and raised in Los Angeles, California, Mark absorbed the music of such Chicago based harp blowers as Little Walter, James Cotton and Sonny Boy Williamson, before settling in Berkeley, California in 1972. There he played with local bluesmen Cool Papa, Boogie Jake, Mississippi Johnny Waters and Sonny Lane. In 1980, he took the helm to lead the popular Blues Survivors Band. In 1985, Mark and the Blues Survivors released the “Playing In Your Town” LP on Rockinitus Records and immediately went out on the road. Earning their name, the band toured virtually non-stop throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, often playing alongside such blues greats as Lowell Fulson, Brownie McGee, Charlie Musselwhite and Eddie Taylor. In 1988 Mark was introduced to guitarist and vocalist Sue Foley and later that year Mark and Sue released “Up & Jumpin’ “ which also featured piano legend Charles Brown. Eager to hit the road again with the Blues Survivors, Mark released a series of fine CD’s Hard Lovin’ (1992), Feel Like Rockin’ (1994) and Married To The Blues (1995) both on Flying Fish Records. Heart of Chicago and Lowdown to Uptown (1998) both appeared on the Tone Cool label. Mark has performed at numerous Festivals including the San Francisco Blues Festival, the Chicago Blues Festival, King Biscuit Blues Festival, Waterfront Blues Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, he has also both performed and judged at the Hohner Harmonica World Championship, held in Germany. In 2002 Mark Hummel signed with the Electro-Fi label and soon released the dynamic “Golden State Blues” CD which featured his touring band the Blues Survivors (Charles Wheal, Steve Wolf and Marty Dodson) as well as special guests Rusty Zinn, Steve Lucky and Anson Funderburgh. 2004 heralded the release of Mark’s first ever live disc “Blowin’ My Horn”. Both of his Electro-Fi albums have received critical acclaim and extensive radio airplay. Since 1991, Mark has been both producing and performing at his annual” Blues Harmonica” Blowout series. These shows have grown into a prestigious event and continue to draw sell out crowds wherever they appear. The list of participants is a virtual who’s who of Blues Harp History: James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, Norton Buffalo, Kim Wilson, Huey Lewis, Carey Bell, Billy Boy Arnold, Rod Piazza, Rick Estrin, Gary Primich, Paul Delay, James Harman plus Electro-Fi label mates Sam Myers and Snooky Pryor, and that’s just from the last three years of this event! For additional info on Mark’s CD’s visit the CD section of this site, for tour dates and additional info on Mark please visit www.markhummel.com “Mark Hummel is a Harmonica Virtuoso. He is one of a handful of the Best Players ever on the Instrument”. – BLUES REVUE Magazine. |
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