Growing up in the California desert, Ben Harper started playing guitar at the age of six. At 17, he discovered the bottleneck slide guitar - and Virgin Music discovered his talent. His unmistakable ability to put his own spin on influences from folk, blues and reggae made him an insider tip in no time at all. Although he became bigger and bigger, he remained the underdog who refused to be put through the commercial machine. Over the years, his voice and his repertoire continued to grow. Gospel, country, jazz and funk elements combined with his roots put Ben Harper in a class of his own.

Charlie Musselwhite is regarded as one of the best living American blues musicians. Dan Aykroyd took this artist as his role model for his part in the 1980 film "Blues Brothers". Even in 2018, nobody can hold a candle to him on the harmonica. He experienced the big bang of rock'n'roll in Memphis and played with legends such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker. 1967 saw him move to California. In the hustle and bustle of the hippie wave, he brought the harmonica and the blues with him. In 2010, he was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame.

The album

This is where the present, the past and the future of the blues meet. The two greats from different generations give the American musical style a contemporary depth. The blues is called the mirror of American society - and here Harper and Musselwhite dare to take a deep look into the inner turmoil of their own country. While you could still hear the air between their playing and singing on their first album, this time they leave you no breathing space. Where words no longer suffice, harmonica and slide guitar tell you everything you need to feel in order to sense the upheaval and the revolution.

BEN HARPER & CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE
April 25, 2018, Salle des fêtes de Thônex
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