Sonny Terry was the blues harpist that influenced everyone who followed. His earthy harmonica style was made more rootsy by the addition of exuberant vocal whoops and hollers whenever the sprit moved him. Even the Library of Congress noticed. Their music archives captured Sonny way back in 1938. His first commercial recording was in 1940 and that gave him a boost into an early wave of folk revival music. Then he joined up with Brownie McGhee. Brownie’s guitar and Sonny’s harp were a popular duo on the folk/blues circuit of the 50s and 60s. They went on to record and play together for more that 40 years. That long association didn’t mean they enjoyed each other’s company. They didn’t. But they did enjoy twice the drawing power together than they did alone. This 1978 photo from McCabe’s Guitar Shop shows Sonny in a separate off-stage room from Brownie’s. They were both very polite about not posing together...but neither would budge an inch. Brownie has his own photo on this page.

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