Harmonica blues is the perfect fusion of songs, forged in the despair felt by African Americans in the late 1800s, with the availability of a pocket-sized reed instrument produced in Germany. Guitar players could balance the instrument on a stand and accompany themselves to evoke the sounds of wind and rain or even the rhythmic pulse of train wheels. The songs on this CD are from the Smithsonian Folkways collection, recorded between 1952 and 2004 and preserving the tradition of the harmonica as a blues instrument. A collage of historic blues harmonicas is featured in MIM’s United States-Canada gallery.

 20 tracks; 66 minutes