Lucky me, back in the late 60's Brownie and Sonny were at the Ash Grove in Hollywood. I took a 4 lesson course taught by Sonny and was hooked to the present day! Still playing at 80 yrs and loving it!
Oh wow!! I'm loving that! Blues harp fella here, from England. That moves me massively. My friends never got this music, growing up in the 80s they were into Wham and Duran Duran....I was listening to Little Walter!
I learned to play blues from Brownie McGhee. I had the privilege to jam with Brownie (and Sonny) on many occasions. A more generous man I haven't met. He taught me not only what I needed to play blues but just about any American music. He told me that Red River Blues was the first blues he learned...from his mother who often sang it.
I was blessed to see these two good souls playing live during the 1970's down in Athens, Ohio. I've loved them ever since. I sat not more than 3 feet away from them in in a little campus tavern at Ohio U. -- Pure Joy!
Watching these two should be mandatory for anyone who wants to understand the roots of American Music. I was lucky to see them perform live in Greenwich Village, probably 1964 or 1965.
I was also at Sonny and Brownie's show at the small campus tavern/coffee house at Ohio U in the early 70's. I sat about 10 feet away from them and was totally transfixed. It is something I will never forget !!!!
Saw these two around-about 1970 at the Colonial Showbar in Toronto and the first time I appreciated the Blues. They were so mesmerizing they captivated me.
The feelin you get just settin here @ home listnin to these two incredably talented gentlemen, I could not emagine what it would have been like to see them in person. Please post more music.
Long before I saw them perform in the early 1970s down in Athens, Ohio, while I attended Ohio University, I was hip to their music in 1969. I was in high school back then. I used to jam on blues harp with best buddy Ian. There was an echoey back hallway at our school, perfect for practicing our best blues riffs inspired by Sonny Terry. We both played key of A,C, & G, blues harps. We'd take turns playing lead & backup. The hallway boomed with kick-ass amplified sound. Good times.
I used to go up to the Cotati Cabaret when I lived in Novato, what a cool room, saw Commander Cody there. Yeah my brother said they hated each other, but the music was so good they kept playin together. Some times what is to be gained is more important than your personal feelings about a person or a situation.
I hate to see old grandpa that sits there like he popped in for a cup of coffee and with this ease he manages to play the fabulous tune. These old bluesman must have lungs the size of an olympic athlete and at this age.
i missed their show at the Inn of the Beginning,in Cotati,Ca. to my everlasting regret because it wasn't too much longer i heard Sonny died-my main influence had passed and i would never again have a chance to to see them live
Michael Hutson I got to see them there, and at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach too. Such a sweet memory! No worries Brother, you were there in spirit and they know it now too❤️
I also sat right in front of them in the late 70s (maybe 1980?). I think that Sonny Terry was blind by then. It was at the Cellar Door in Georgetown (Washington, DC) I was just 18 or 19 years old but will never forget it.
I was honored to not only see them play twice but also meet them twice. Sonny was completely blind btw. When he was doing his signiature he explained how a' T 'seemed to him in his head .
@Jim Dawson: I seen them in Toronto, too, around 1962/63 down at the 5th Peg in Yorkville. Got to meet them between performances with my buddy. I asked him about his Martin D-18 guitar and he told us that Andy Griffith gave it to him during the making of "A Face in the Crowd". He played the gutar for Griffith in that film, it wasn't Andy who played. You can see him looking in at Andy during the prison scene. Ken, Toronto
I had an old LP of Sonny and Brownie playing with Lightnin' Hopkins. It was something else. Does anyone know if any of those tracks are on here anywhere?
If you saw the movie with Steve Martin called "The Jerk' at the start of that movie there were two men playing harp and guitar and it was Browni McGee and Sonny TERRY
@Davett53, You must indeed be a blessed soul to have witness such an event with such incredible GOD ordained artists. Much Love to McGhee & Terry from all Hebrew-Yisraelites in HA SHEM YHWH EL SHADAI, KEDOSH HA IBRIM YISRAEL. Blessings & Shalom,
Most blues men play and sing song that make you tap your toe want to dance snap your fingers, then some of there music will really bring you down and make you feel blue. But for those of you that have never heard Son House do "death letter blues" or most any song he did he don't make you feel blue when eye listen to him there is something inside me that actually hurts. If you haven't listened to Son House try it.
@SmarticusRex Apparently, he wasn't completely blind. In one of his songs, he says, "I couldn't see real good, but I could see them white pants, and I shot at them white pants. The ladies were runnin' round the restaurant saying, 'This blind man's gonna kill everybody.' "
Lucky you is right. I saw so many great shows at the Ashgrove. I also wanted to enroll in Sonny's harp lessons, but I was unable to because of my job. One of my true regrets in life is not taking that course from Sonny.
Does anyone know where I can get some harp tabs for the first song by any chance? If any of you fellow harpists know how to play it PLEASE put up a tutorial!!!!
I'm not a snob when it comes to what anyone id's as a "classic of the genre". I play and sing music and am pranically connected to unique and beautiful music, which is certainly where music as wild and sexy as this is? Lawdy LAWD this is flat out gawjuss, timeless and straight from the heart and the gut. Oh, where is a time machine when a woman really would like to strap one on? UnderBZ'sBed, I'm thinkin.'
@captnoddball Don't compare it then and yes it is you. Rap and hip Hop sit nicely together on my music shelf with Blues and tons of other genres. Music evolves and with each generation there are masters created. The only thing that destroys,ruins or insults is small mindedness.
Love how even a one-second gap between singing is time enough for a blast of harmonica
Lucky me, back in the late 60's Brownie and Sonny were at the Ash Grove in Hollywood.
I took a 4 lesson course taught by Sonny and was hooked to the present day! Still playing at 80 yrs and loving it!
John Rieth I would love to listen to what you've learned
yeah man
Are you still with us human brother.
Soooo cool!
Lucky man!!!😮😊
Oh wow!! I'm loving that! Blues harp fella here, from England. That moves me massively. My friends never got this music, growing up in the 80s they were into Wham and Duran Duran....I was listening to Little Walter!
I learned to play blues from Brownie McGhee. I had the privilege to jam with Brownie (and Sonny) on many occasions. A more generous man I haven't met. He taught me not only what I needed to play blues but just about any American music. He told me that Red River Blues was the first blues he learned...from his mother who often sang it.
Mike Wilhelm thank you for sharing that! What a wonderful story!!
🕊️Blessed 🍃🌳✨
I was blessed to see these two good souls playing live
during the 1970's down in Athens, Ohio. I've loved them
ever since. I sat not more than 3 feet away from them in
in a little campus tavern at Ohio U. -- Pure Joy!
Cool!
Watching these two should be mandatory for anyone who wants to understand the roots of American Music. I was lucky to see them perform live in Greenwich Village, probably 1964 or 1965.
Love reading all of your stories about seeing and meeting these 2 legends. Thank you all
same Nick, one of the best things about TH-cam, the classic music of course, but the memories of people who saw these legends in the flesh.
"Everybody loves it."
Simplest looking legends who perform heavenly and ain't cocky a wee bit.
I love these guys. I was fortunate to see them in concert long long ago.
Saw them many times at 'The Lighthouse' in Hermosa Beach! Unforgettable!!
I wish.
Timeless and what a legacy! Saw them with the Barber band in Manchester in the 50's
That would be into hear about.
I was also at Sonny and Brownie's show at the small campus tavern/coffee house at Ohio U in the early 70's. I sat about 10 feet away from them and was totally transfixed. It is something I will never forget !!!!
Did same thing in Berkley back in the day...engulfed with the sound 10 feet in front on two chairs.....
Awesome
So dynamic but at the same time so relaxed.
Saw these two around-about 1970 at the Colonial Showbar in Toronto and the first time I appreciated the Blues. They were so mesmerizing they captivated me.
MY GOD! IT'S JUST TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. ....DON'T MISS THESE 2 FABULOUS BLUES MAN...WAOUW!!! I'M SHIVERING...
J'EN TREMBLE..TROP BON!
Ça nous rajeunit pas ! Mais c est bien bon !
Merci *****Roland Koerner& francois ayden îra : tu l'as dit bouffi....mais jeune d'esprit!!!!
Excellent!
This is what the original blues sounded like!
The feelin you get just settin here @ home listnin to these two incredably
talented gentlemen, I could not emagine what it would have been like to
see them in person. Please post more music.
Shame on he that would give a thumbs down to this classic duo. This is
'The Real Thing'
Love these guys. My first exposure to the blues was when they played a blues club, The New Penelope, in Montréal in 1967.
why isnt music like this these days
Day got me in 71'.......Lache pas a patate' Sonny & Brownie....deep in my blood .....
Long before I saw them perform in the early 1970s down in Athens, Ohio, while I attended Ohio University, I was hip to their music in 1969. I was in high school back then. I used to jam on blues harp with best buddy Ian. There was an echoey back hallway at our school, perfect for practicing our best blues riffs inspired by Sonny Terry. We both played key of A,C, & G, blues harps. We'd take turns playing lead & backup. The hallway boomed with kick-ass amplified sound. Good times.
GRRREAT ! Thanks a lot for posting this gem !
Saw Sonny & Brownie in Georgetown, D. C. late 70's. Red River Blues is my favorite S & B song.
quel bonheur d'écouter ça et de revenir aux racines du rock !!! et dire que tout vient de là !!!!!!!!
Je découvre ce fabuleux duo .
Et ce que je peux te dire, c'est que ça déménage.
there's a great video of skip james singing crow jane out there. This stuff is great thank you for putting these up.
Brings back alot of memories. Some good. Alot of bad ones. Wouldn't change it for the world.
I saw Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee play at the Tangent coffee house on University Ave. in Palo Alto in 1969 when I was 15.
That would've be such a treat! We other musicians playing with them?
this is music and life god bless
чертовски прекрасная музыка! Этот мир вполне не плох, когда его посещают такие души как Sonny Terry и Brownie McGhee.
fantastic is this real pure blues.
The Fantastic Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, wonderful :)
I love the look on Brownie's face while Sonny's singing...he looks very happy.
These were the first bluesmen Mick Jagger saw on television as a kid. Made a huge impression on him.
Doesn't get much better than these two.
Saw Brownie in 1988 at a place on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley. I got lucky.
How come someone has not liked this gem?
Brownie McGhee plays so good on that guitar :)
I used to go up to the
Cotati Cabaret when I lived in Novato, what a cool room, saw Commander Cody there. Yeah my brother said they hated each other, but the music was so good they kept playin together. Some times what is to be gained is more important than your personal feelings about a person or a situation.
Awesome to see this kind of stuff on youtube.
I hate to see old grandpa that sits there like he popped in for a cup of coffee and with this ease he manages to play the fabulous tune. These old bluesman must have lungs the size of an olympic athlete and at this age.
i missed their show at the Inn of the Beginning,in Cotati,Ca. to my everlasting regret because it wasn't too much longer i heard Sonny died-my main influence had passed and i would never again have a
chance to to see them live
Michael Hutson I got to see them there, and at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach too. Such a sweet memory! No worries Brother, you were there in spirit and they know it now too❤️
awwwww, saw them couple of times at the Ashgrove on Melrose Ave in LA..............WOW what fun, beer, cigs, (:)) and these guys
favourite blues singers
crow jane- skip james. man this duo has all that class.....superbad.
THX(XnotC)
great songs and an even greater mustachio
I also sat right in front of them in the late 70s (maybe 1980?). I think that Sonny Terry was blind by then. It was at the Cellar Door in Georgetown (Washington, DC) I was just 18 or 19 years old but will never forget it.
Cool!
Sonny Terry wherever you are we still love.JC
Praise God Bless you all my the LORD be with you all. Peace and love bless our LORD Jesus Christ 💖🙏
I was honored to not only see them play twice but also meet them twice. Sonny was completely blind btw. When he was doing his signiature he explained how a' T 'seemed to him in his head .
I remember seeing these two in Toronto many years ago with my cousin.
@Jim Dawson: I seen them in Toronto, too, around 1962/63 down at the 5th Peg in Yorkville. Got to meet them between performances with my buddy. I asked him about his Martin D-18 guitar and he told us that Andy Griffith gave it to him during the making of "A Face in the Crowd". He played the gutar for Griffith in that film, it wasn't Andy who played. You can see him looking in at Andy during the prison scene.
Ken, Toronto
I had an old LP of Sonny and Brownie playing with Lightnin' Hopkins. It was something else. Does anyone know if any of those tracks are on here anywhere?
king of the harp
its AWESOME
Its in Key of F. Put a clamp on 1st fret-- chord progression is E,B,A, E,B,A,E-- and then the turnaround.
you're the man
Super excellent !!!
If you saw the movie with Steve Martin called "The Jerk' at the start of that movie there were two men playing harp and guitar and it was Browni McGee and Sonny TERRY
I'll find that scene. Sounds good! Thanks for the heads-up.
@Davett53, You must indeed be a blessed soul to have witness such an event with such incredible GOD ordained artists. Much Love to McGhee & Terry from all Hebrew-Yisraelites in HA SHEM YHWH EL SHADAI, KEDOSH HA IBRIM YISRAEL. Blessings & Shalom,
I went camping with brownie a lot wen we were kids. I miss the old days
Perfection.
Most blues men play and sing song that make you tap your toe want to dance snap your fingers, then some of there music will really bring you down and make you feel blue. But for those of you that have never heard Son House do "death letter blues" or most any song he did he don't make you feel blue when eye listen to him there is something inside me that actually hurts. If you haven't listened to Son House try it.
thank god for this
Excellent.
The real thing. Brilliant!
Beautiful
Whew Rural blues by these two giant's
I love this shit dude... Real music is some pretty rare shit.
Real , pure and...honest
AMAZING
So good...woooo!
to me these songs feel like a pair of shoes, which is very comfortable because it's been worn such a long time
It makes me want to get up and dance.
Entendo perfeitamente o porque desses caras influenciarem tanto caras como Clapton.
How do I learn how to play the harmonica like this guy?
You see all of that gray in his hair? Just take your time and practice.
You buy one and blow...
Roosevelt John I think that's just because it's in black and white.
Ron Sommers I have A, C and G scale and I've been blowing for a while.
Just not in a good way.
Like this guy? It's impossible
@SmarticusRex Apparently, he wasn't completely blind. In one of his songs, he says, "I couldn't see real good, but I could see them white pants, and I shot at them white pants. The ladies were runnin' round the restaurant saying, 'This blind man's gonna kill everybody.' "
hey!!! these guys started that WHOOOOOO !!!! Thing.
I used to see them in Cotati California at a hippie place called the Inn of the Beginning. I heard that they didn't really like each other very well.
I was listening to Brownie MacGhee and found myself all curled up with the curtain.
Sonny Terry el mejor de la Armonica.
True blues!!!
Lucky you is right. I saw so many great shows at the Ashgrove. I also wanted to enroll in Sonny's harp lessons, but I was unable to because of my job. One of my true regrets in life is not taking that course from Sonny.
Looooooove!
Does anyone know where I can get some harp tabs for the first song by any chance?
If any of you fellow harpists know how to play it PLEASE put up a tutorial!!!!
No two harp players sound exactly alike. There will never be another....
nice guys
feelin
good
just wow
Wow!
Is sonny holding harp backwards???
Key of F B flat harmonica?
I'm not a snob when it comes to what anyone id's as a "classic of the genre". I play and sing music and am pranically connected to unique and beautiful music, which is certainly where music as wild and sexy as this is? Lawdy LAWD this is flat out gawjuss, timeless and straight from the heart and the gut. Oh, where is a time machine when a woman really would like to strap one on? UnderBZ'sBed, I'm thinkin.'
Sonny terry is the best goddamned blues harp player, period.
素晴らしい！
Sweet
Is there anyone here who can help in the old 50's 40's jazz music? Please!
@captnoddball Don't compare it then and yes it is you. Rap and hip Hop sit nicely together on my music shelf with Blues and tons of other genres. Music evolves and with each generation there are masters created. The only thing that destroys,ruins or insults is small mindedness.
This is the real blues
nice
@Davett53
If I was born then, I really would have sit there:)
this is a old song but not to old I hear oldest songs I want to hear 1 from the20s
It's the exact same chord progression actually. Good ear!