Magic Dick Interview
Born in 1945 in New London, Connecticut, Magic Dick arrived in post-war America to the Atomic Bomb, World Peace, Bebop and Rhythm & Blues. Dynamic change and growth in the arts and technology would be the hallmark of this era and by the time he was eight Dick knew that music, painting and physics would be his primary interests.
The trumpet was his constant companion and served as a springboard to the harmonica in his sophomore year at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts where he met J. Geils and Danny Klein and became a founding member of the J. Geils Blues Band in 1968. By 1969 the band had moved to Boston and joined forces with Peter Wolf, Stephen Jo Bladd and Seth Justman. In 1970 the J. Geils Band recorded their first of nine albums for Atlantic Records and toured incessantly, jamming with many of the blues greats including Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells and James Cotton. The band developed a reputation for 'getting crazy' and devastated audiences for fifteen years with their high-energy style of Rhythm & Blues and Rock & Roll. These recordings showcase Magic Dick's innovative harmonica playing, which served as a strong distinguishing sound for the band.
A series of five albums for EMI America followed culminating in the Platinum album Freeze Frame, released in 1981, which ascended to #1 on the Billboard album charts, spent four weeks there, and remained on the charts for a total of 70 weeks. The album's first single, "Centerfold," spent six weeks at #1 in Billboard. Freeze Frame's title track followed "Centerfold," peaking at #4. Subsequent to The J. Geils Band, Magic Dick performed as a guest artist harmonica soloist for Patty Smyth, Debbi Harri, Full Circle, The Del Fuegos and Ryuici Sakamota, among others. In 1992, Magic Dick and J. Geils formed the band Bluestime featuring Magic Dick on harmonica and vocals and J. Geils on guitar.
Magic Dick's years of experimentation and searching for new sounds and stylings for the harmonica cultivated a strong desire to improve the flexibility and quality of the harmonica so as to better fit into contemporary music yet retain the best characteristics of harmonica sound and cultural history. This development continues to this day in the recordings of Bluestime on Rounder Records, which feature prototypes of Magic Harmonicas’ expanding the role of the harp now, and for the future. Magic Dick's intense drive to extend and enlarge the cultural history of the harmonica is shared in a balanced and fruitful union with Magic Harmonicas co-inventor and partner Pierre Beauregard.
Magic Dick co-wrote and performed one of the most iconic blues harmonica instrumentals in the later part of the 20th Century, "Whammer Jammer," inspiring many people to learn blues harmonica. This interview was held at Magic Dick's home in Massachusetts, in February of 2014. If you would like to learn more about Magic Dick please visit his website http://magicdick.com
Videos Include:
First Harmonica and Perspective on Playing); Ensemble Playing; Improvising; Recording: Working with an Engineer; Recording: Value of Self-Recording and Mics; Recording: Amps; Harmonica Maintenance; Dick’s Shure Wireless Mic; Playing Trumpet, Part 1; Playing Trumpet, Part 2 and Mental Checklist; Achieving Big Tone on the Harmonica; Thought Experiments; Breathing; More on the Mental Checklist; Love of Post-War Chicago Blues and Hand Usage; Seeing James Cotton and Junior Wells Early on and Dick’s Stage Rig; Dick’s Approach to Tongue Blocking & Puckering; Inspiration; Bending and Incorporating Elements of other Players; More on Improvising: Stream of Consciousness; More on Improvising: Oral Language, Positions and Alternate Tunings; Magic Harps; Whammer Jammer, Part 1; Whammer Jammer, Part 2; Whammer Jammer, Part 3; Closing
