Seward 'Harmonica' Shah was born in Oakland, CA and grew up in Lee County Texas, where he was inspired by the guitar of his grandfather Sam Dawson, who had recorded for Alan Lomax and Duke records. Shah moved to Detroit in 1967, and the deep Texas swamp country blues he heard growing up fit perfectly with the hard urban blues that he learned through years of association with the classic bluesmen of Detroit.
In the 1970s Shah played as sideman with Bobo Jenkins, Eddie Burns, Willie D. Warren, Eddie Kirkland, Uncle Jesse White, and others who were part of the "house rent party" scene presided over by John Lee Hooker up and down Detroit's Hastings Street in the 1950s. The blues had to be tough to reach ears accustomed to the drop forge and white-hot steel of the auto industry; "I don't want to play 'nice' music. Whoever likes it, that's ok, but its not what I want to hear," relates Harmonica Shah. It's Excello-drenched Texas swamp blues meets the hard blues of Hooker's 1950s Detroit that Shah wants to hear.
Shah's hard-hitting touring band is dedicated to keeping his music as authentic and tough as possible. Harmonica Shah has earned fans internationally, with performances at clubs and festivals around the U.S., and Europe, Russia, Japan and Australia. His latest CD Listen At Me Good (Electro-Fi) features eight-time W.C. Handy Award winning drummer Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith on 6 songs. Blues guitar master Mel Brown appears on 4 tunes; songs include 'Dirty and Greasy Work', 'Bullets Dont Care', 'Lonesome Graveyard Blues' and 'I Wish A Thief Would Steal All My Burdens and Pain.' Here's what the top blues publications are saying about Listen At Me Good:
"Harmonica Shah's got it... harp wizardry... hard to resist..." - LIVING BLUES
"...Listen At Me Good stands out among contemporary Blues releases for it's spirit and vintage stylings as well as it's originality and insight". - BLUES REVUE
"This may be the most important blues of the year, maybe even the decade" - BIG CITY RHYTHM & BLUES
This video was filmed during the production of the CD Listen at Me Good (Electro-Fi Records):
Hello Mr.Shah! Thanks for your stay at our humble hotel! Looking forward to your next visit and meanwhile...all the best for you and the band! You've made a big impression on my little girl! Best wishes and loads of Hohner sounds & succes! Hans BackStage Hotel Amsterdam
Thanks for the add Harmonica Man. I'm very proud to be a friend of such a fine group of musicians in the great city of Detroit. Don't forget to check out my upcoming Blues/Rock debut CD, Dawn of a Waking Man in Sept. Keep Detroit rockin baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
