"As for the harmonica-for many years it wasn't even considered a legitimate instrument, but that changed with the all-harmonica group the Harmonicats' recording of "Peg O' My Heart," which was a best selling record of 1947 that went on to become one of the best selling singles ever. Ironically, the Harmonicats were aided by a musician strike, which resulted in "Peg O' My Heart" getting an unusual amount of airplay. Because the musician's union didn't consider harmonica players legitimate musicians, the record was one of the few that could be played on the radio during the strike. The success of this record helped convince the musicians' union to reclassify the harmonica as a legitimate instrument."
Sam Berry How To Play the Harmonica and Other Life Lessons ---------- The Iceman
Well , probably will get clobbered for this .. but here goes , just can't resist ... Kind of looks like an young version of .. Rick Estrin , Paul Delay & William Clarke getting together for a jam ... hehe
I have the Harmonicats 33.3 album with "Peg o my heart" on it. I believe it is one of only 2 Harmonica instrumental songs to make the top 40 in the US. I think the other was "Juke" Also have the 78 rpm set from John Sebastian, fun to crank up the Victrola and listen.
Was hoping that you guys would pick up on the facts of Peg O' My Heart - going gold...because Musician's Union didn't consider harmonica valid instrument and how the sales of this record changed their outlook towards the harmonica.
Maybe I missed something...while I understand Peg O' My Heart being popular, is it really the best selling harmonica record of all time?
I mean, because it is a harmonica band? I am not sure how to quantify the best selling harmonica single or album - although, I'd love to see such information.
I'd guess - and it is just a guess - that modern songs like Timber, which feature harmonica, probably have as many if not more plays/buys than music that is even 50+ years old...it is just easier to get your hands on! ---------- Mike My Website My Harmonica Effects Blog
I would think Blues Traveler's Four would fall into discussion. It's 6x platinum and features the harmonica prominently throughout.
I'm sure JP thinks of the Harmonicats every time a royalty check rolls in :p <-- This means I'm joking. I am hilarious. ---------- Ridge's YouTube
Last Edited by ridge on Apr 27, 2015 7:59 AM
I found one reference that said "Peg of My Heart" sold over 1 million copies (http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=22400)
I found one reference that said Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips part 2" sold over 1 million copies (http://motownjunkies.co.uk/2011/01/09/300/)
This source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_singles) lists dozens of tunes selling over 2 million, with White Christmas and Candle in the #1 & #2 spots with over 30 million sold. ---------- theharmonicaclub.com (of Huntington, WV)
Last Edited by Jim Rumbaugh on Apr 27, 2015 10:25 AM
Peg O' My Heart has the distinction of being the very first recording which reverb was being used and in most harmonica recordings, it's become pretty much a standard thing to do whenever harmonica is being recorded in a studio. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
I understand the song was sent to a speaker in a bathroom and mic'd back to the control room. It was the first time artificial reverb was used on a recording. Bill Putman was the genius behind it. He and Les Paul revolutionized the way recording are made. Bill recorded all the early chess stuff at universal studios and the chess brothers decided to build their own studio and cut him out of the process to save money. That is why the earliest chess records sound so good and then they went to sounding pretty bad until they figured out the chess studio. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year in the Tunnel of Dreams Studio. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
BBQBob wrote:"Peg O' My Heart has the distinction of being the very first recording which reverb was being used"
Iceman wrote "was the reverb supplied by a tiled room (bathroom)?"
Bill Putnam recorded the track, playing channels through a speaker in a tiled bathroom, capturing the resultant reverb & mixing it back in to the final cut (you can hear the effect & its level vary throughout the track, chord harp is typically dry). This gave birth to the echo chambers that Putnam & others (Capitol, Motown for example) used to creatively apply reverb/echo effects.
If there is any distinction between that and other recordings of the time, it is that the reverb/echo was controlled & deliberately applied, on a commercial recording (the BBC had purpose built echo chambers earlier than this), rather than the instrument's sound unavoidably bouncing off walls during the recording. ---------- www.myspace.com/markburness
Last Edited by 5F6H on Apr 28, 2015 2:58 AM
These debates, or whatever, tend to become a little more meaningful if you define "harmonica record". "Peg" is of course an outstanding instance -- nothing but harmonicas there (IIRC).
If Jerry Murad & THe Harmonicats didn't allow them to use reverb on the recording, they would' have never gotten that recording deal at all.
I actually did a recording session many years ago while I still had a real '65 Super Reverb and the amp was recorded in a hard tiled bathroom and the sound coming from that is far and away different than recording with an amp with the spring reverb effect happening. Pretty cool sounding. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
