Lesson with a Living Master

Original Chicago blues great Billy Boy Arnold shares his story and insights

BILLY BOY ARNOLD is one of the few remaining first-generation Chicago bluesmen alive today. Although he's 85, Arnold is still incredibly active. Before the pandemic, he was still playing shows, and he recently finished his autobiography The Blues Dream Of Billy Boy Arnold with author and harmonica pro Kim Field. Arnold learned to play harmonica from the godfather of all blues harmonica players: John Lee Williamson, the original Sonny Boy (more about that below). After mastering the basics, he developed LESSON WITH A an instantly recognisable style: simple, effective, memorable, and always rich in tone. Plenty of aspiring players have since learned Arnold's hooks and licks. LIVING MASTER Arnold teamed up with Bo Diddley when he was just a teenager, helped seed rock and roll music in the 1960s with his hit "Wish You Would" (famously Justin M. Norton covered by The Yardbirds and many others) and continued to thrive past middle age with the Alligator Records career highlight and comeback record Back Where I Belong in 1993. He was also a contemporary of the best Chicago blues harmonica players ever: Little Walter, Rice Miller and Big Walter Horton. Arnold never tried to compete with those players. Rather, he was so confident in his laconic style and his ability to craft songs that he took his own path and thrived amidst a virtual Mount Rushmore of great players. While blues harmonica playing in the 21st century has become a vehicle to show off chops and technical prowess, Arnold’s playing offers timeless lessons. First, honour the song and sing it well if you can. Second, if you have a good idea, milk it and let the listener hear it. Finally, remember that when it comes to soloing, less usually works better than more. People will understand you can play quickly. Show them that you’re not just a soloist but a complete musician. Harmonica World was delighted to get a harp lesson from one of the original blues harmonica greats in the form of this interview! Arnold's biography will be available via the University Of Chicago press this autumn.

When did you first hear a harmonica? What about the sound grabbed you?

My parents played blues records when I was a kid, but I didn't pay any attention to them until I heard the original Sonny Boy Williamson (John Lee Williamson). I liked his singing and his style and his harmonica playing. He had a personal style. He was original. He was the original blues harmonica player and a prolific songwriter. Then I heard Little Walter and thought the harmonica was a beautiful instrument. I didn't intend to become a harmonica player. It just happened that way.

After you heard Sonny Boy I, what was your process for learning the instrument?

After I heard Sonny Boy, I thought I'd buy a harmonica to see if I could start playing like that. I had a couple of lessons with Sonny Boy before he got killed. He taught me about ‘choking’ the harmonica. Today they call it bending the notes, but black people back then called it ‘choking’ - to get that blues sound. He demonstrated it. It was only a few lessons, and he had guests at his house, so it wasn't a lot of time. Then one time, I went by his house, and he'd been murdered. I (later) learned by playing from records. Most of the guys started listening to records and practicing. Then it just depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to do it, it's something that will grow on you.

It's incredible to consider you learned directly from the person who created so much of the language of the blues harmonica.

Meeting Sonny Boy was one of the greatest highlights of my life. Little Walter took it from there and became the superstar of the harmonica after Sonny Boy.

One of your first big experiences was working with Bo Diddley. What sorts of things did you learn from that experience?

Well, I was 15, and he was 23. He was unique, and he had his original style. He was a very nice person, too, with a lot of character. And he was original in his music: he didn't copy anyone. I knew from listening to him and being around him that he had something special.

I wanted to talk to you about one of your most famous harmonica licks - the lick to "Wish You Would” (played entirely on holes 1 and 2 in second position). Where did you come up with that?

I didn't have anything mapped out. When I was writing the song, I just came up with the lick. Whenever I would sing that song, I'd play that lick. When people hear the record, they (play the lick) like they would with "Juke." I remember listening to The Yardbirds version of “Wish You Would,” thinking it's missing the lick. They were young guys like I was. Eventually, they learned the song and could do it as well as I could. It grows on you.

What do you remember about Little Walter?

I was in awe of Walter. He was special - there was an aura around him. He knew so much and could do so much on the harmonica - it was like magic. No one could challenge him because he was so way out there ahead of everyone. But if you knew Walter, you could say, "how did you get something like that?"

How do you find your voice when there is someone like

Little Walter in the blues scene at that point?

(At first) I wanted to sound like Sonny Boy but knew that sounding like him wouldn't do me any good. And I knew that playing anything Walter did note for note wasn't the way to go. I did know one thing many people in Chicago didn't know: to be successful, you need to write your material. I knew Sonny Boy wrote all of his songs, and Walter wrote 75 to 80 percent of his songs. You can only go so far with another guy's material.

One of the things about your harp playing I've always admired is your ability to leave space and say just what is needed for each song.

I got that from Sonny Boy. He would sing a verse and then play the harmonica. Some guys would only sing two verses and then play two verses of a solo. But Sonny Boy used the harp to accent whatever he was thinking and singing. I started out listening to T. Bone Walker. He played beautiful, original guitar. He'd sing, and then he'd accent (the song) with his guitar. Some guys blow the harp and then sing. Walter was sort of like a chef. Muddy Waters said Walter never got in his way but knew how to accent everything.

What do you like and not like about the blues harmonica you hear now?

I don't listen to too much blues harp - I listen to a lot of guitar and piano. Each (harmonica) player has their personality and puts it into their music. There are a lot of great players out there. A lot

of guys I play shows with play more harp than I do. You always need to keep doing it and never take it for granted.

What was it like working on your biography?

I never thought about doing a biography because I never thought I had anything great to say. But when we sat down, I just told the truth - what happened. I don't like to put out stuff that's not for real.

What's your advice to people learning to play blues harmonica?

Well, I'm kind of a lazy guy (laughs). I'd say work hard on the harp and listen to the greats. But don't put too much into the greats because then you'll sound just like them. My mom always said Sonny Boy was "gifted." And I'd say, "how do I get that gift?" I couldn't play anything on the harmonica but then learned to play something. I also learned to be a blues singer by listening to Muddy and Lightnin’ Hopkins and Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup. I listened to all of them. I loved their music and wanted to be a blues singer. So it's important to listen to the greats and learn your instrument. But ultimately you need to be able to do something that is authentically you. If you play daily and you want to be good at this, it grows on you. It depends on what you want to do with it. Many harp players thought they were better than me, but I wrote my songs and came up with something different.