Top 10 Charlie Musselwhite Songs And Perfomances

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Our Top 10 Charlie Musselwhite Songs list presents the best Charlie Musselwhite Songs like “No Mercy in This Land,” “Help Me,” and many more. American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader Charles Musselwhite was a prominent figure during the revival of the Chicago Blues scene during the 1960s. Born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, on January 31, 1944, Musselwhite grew up with the influence of music that would dictate the path of his own career in the industry. His father was a guitarist who played the harmonica, while his mother played the piano. When Musselwhite was three years old, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. While he was a teenager, he was influenced by a music scene that witnessed electric blues, rockabilly, and western swing ignite the genre known as rock and roll.

Before Charlie Musselwhite’s career as a musician took off, he was making ends meet with construction-related jobs and selling moonshine. Because Memphis was a hotbed of activity for musicians, as a performer, Musselwhite earned the nickname Memphis Charlie. Eventually, he hit the road and headed for Chicago, Illinois, to pursue furthering his musical education as a bluesman. While there, he met with some of the greatest legends, such as Muddy Waters and Junior Wells, just to name a few. For him, they served as key influences that would have him completely dedicated as an aspiring musician. While there, he formed a close friendship with John Lee Hooker.

While making ends meet in Chicago, Charlie Musselwhite worked at the Jazz Record Mark. While there, he met Sam Charters of Vanguard Records in 1965. That same year he played harmonica as part of John Hammond’s lineup for the album So Many Roads. The success of Chicago/The Blues/Today! Volume 3, which included Musselwhite’s performance, earned his first recording contract as a solo artist. 1966’s Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite’s South Side Band would be his first taste of solo success. Despite the misspelling of his name on the album, Charlie Musselwhite still rose to prominence in the blues music culture. Since then, he has recorded two additional albums for Vanguard. In 1968, it was Stone Blues, and then in 1969, it was Tennessee Woman.

The success prompted Musselwhite to move to San Franciso, California, hoping to capitalize on his recording career. This resulted in him becoming the king of blues in an explosion of counterculture music. While there, Musselwhite managed to convince his friend, John Lee Hooker, to move to California as well. Over time, Musselwhite has released several albums and has served as a guest performer for a long list of big-name artists such as Bonnie Raitt, INXS, and Tom Waits. In the process, he has earned fourteen Blues Music Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Monterey Blues Festival and Spain’s San Javier Jazz Festival. He also received a Mississippi Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts.

Like most stars who rise to the top in the entertainment industry, the experience is like a roller coaster ride. This was no different for Charlie Musselwhite as he rode the wave of stardom as a prolific blues musician who made an everlasting impression. At one point in his career, alcoholism served as a hindrance until he finally kicked that to the curb in 1987. This decision steered his life and career in a more positive direction. In the 1990s, Musselwhite made a big comeback after signing with Alligator Records. Ace of Harps was a 1990 recording that earned Musselwhite his first Grammy Award nomination. Since then, the musician has become busier than ever, resulting in two more Grammy Award nominations, namely for 1991’s Signature and 1993’s In My Time.

Also in 1990, Musselwhite contributed a harmonica to INXS’s album X. This album featured “Suicide Blonde” and several other notable songs that treated the listeners with some of Musselwhite’s best work as a musician. In 1994, Bonnie Raitt invited Musselwhite to perform with her for the highly acclaimed album Longing in Their Hearts.

For Musselwhite, the 1990s also witnessed further diversification in his musical style. Although blues has always served as the core of what defined his career, he also brought the influence of Americana and Latino styles.

The harmonica has been Charlie Musselwhite’s trademark as a musician. He learned to play the instrument and the guitar when he was thirteen years old. He has forty-two albums to his credit so far, and he’s also collaborated with several artists in concert and other recordings. In 2010, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. In 2014, Musselwhite won his first Grammy Award for Best Blues Album for 2013’s Get Up!, a collaborated recording with Ben Harper.

In December 1999, Charlie Musselwhite was vacationing in Mexico when he was broadsided by a semi-truck while behind the wheel. After he was hospitalized for two weeks due to the injuries he received, he was released. In October 2000, his third wife, Henrietta, was bit by a shark while snorkeling in Hawaii. Henrietta started as a photographer before becoming Musselwhite’s wife in 1981. Since then, she’s also been his manager and co-producer. John Lee Hooker served as Musselwhite’s best man at the wedding.

Top 10 Charlie Musselwhite Songs

#10 – Strange Land (featuring Harvey Mandel)

“Strange Land” was a 1966 Charlie Musselwhite original first featured on the debut album Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite’s South Side Band. During a time when musical artists of color dominated blues music, Musselwhite’s performance served as a bridge that beautifully merged people together. When appreciating what matters most, no other form of entertainment can do it better than music. Musselwhite’s influence worked harmoniously with other greats such as Buddy Guy, B.B. King, and Elvis Presley.

#9 – Crawling King Snake

“Crawling King Snake” was a John Lee Hooker tune that became immortalized after Charlie Musselwhite paid homage to one of his best friends. The album, Mississippi Son, featured a track collection of songs that paid tribute to several blues legends. It was also a recording that Musselwhite added to his harmonica performance with the guitar and some vocals. This was a Delta blues classic first recorded by Big Joe Williams in 1941.

That same year, Tony Hollins recorded a very different version. It would be the one from Hollins that would serve as a blues standard, as an inspirational favorite performed by several artists since then. When John Lee Hooker recorded “Crawling King Snake” in 1949, it became one of his signature singles. On the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, it peaked as high as number six.

#8 – Come On Up to the House (featuring Tom Waits)

In 1999, Tom Waits released the album Mule Variations. Charlie Musselwhite, with his harmonica performance, collaborated with him. “Come On Up to the House” was the standout song that later triggered a collection of female singer-songwriters to record and release “Come On Up to the House: Women Sing Waits” in 2019. It also inspired a handful of other recording artists, including Willie Nelson, to present their versions.

# 7 – Just Your Fool (featuring Cyndi Lauper)

The first time “Just Your Fool” was recorded was by Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra in 1953. The jazz and jump blues mix was a big band hit featuring his sister, Ella Johnson, on vocals. This anthemic-style number was a big hit on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as it peaked as high as number six in 1954. In 2010, Cyndi Lauper and Charlie Musselwhite performed this classic for her album, Memphis Blues. Instead of the harmonica, Musselwhite played the harp as it accompanied Lauper’s vocals. On the US Billboard Digital Blues Songs chart, it peaked as high as number two.

#6 – Help Me

When Charlie Musselwhite made his album debut as a solo artist, Vanguard Records spelled his name wrong. Released as Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite’s South Side Band, this 1966 recording featured his rendition of “Help Me.” This was the same Sonny Boy Williamson II’s 1963 original that would be inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1987 in the Classics of Blues Recordings category.

Musselwhite quickly made a name for himself as a blues newcomer who could perform just as well as the already-established legends at the time. Nowadays, he is one of those legends. The harmonica in the tune about a man learning how to cook and clean for himself was the standout performance of this bluesy number, which won Musselwhite a fan base that included some of those very legends whom he looked up to as mentors.

# 5 – I Ride at Dawn (featuring Ben Harper)

As a vocalist, Ben Harper was nothing short of amazing in the ghostly performance of “I Ride at Dawn.” While this ominous song featured Harper at his best as a singer, it had Charlie Musselwhite at his best with the harmonica. Mixing the funk bassline with the expressive ride laid out by Musselwhite and Paul Butterfield, this song felt like it was going to send the listener clean off the track. “I Ride at Dawn” wasn’t just a song. It was a thrill ride from start to finish. As a whole, Get Up! is a ten-song experience that’s worth spending forty minutes listening to.

#4 – I’m In I’m Out and I’m Gone (featuring Ben Harper)

Recorded in 2013, “I’m In I’m Out and I’m Gone” became a bluesy classic thanks to the team of Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite. There was a good reason why the Grammy Awards recognized Get Up! as the Best Blues Album. Ben Harper’s vocal talent is world-class and has a knack for blues music that would make the greatest legends of the genre proud. For Musselwhite, he was at his best as a performer, proving that he’s just like wine. He and his music simply get better with age.

#3 – Suicide Blonde (featuring INXS)

In 1990, “Suicide Blonde” was a single that started with Charlie Musselwhite and his harmonica performance. Throughout the song, this instrumental standout made this song such a big hit among INXS’s fans. On the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart and US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, it was a number one hit. This was also the case in Canada and New Zealand. In INXS’s home nation of Australia, it was a number two hit, as well as a certified gold hit. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it peaked as high as number nine. With the Recording Industry Association of America, “Suicide Blonde” also became certified gold.

#2 – Cristo Redemptor

Although Donald Byrd’s trumpeted original of “Cristo Redemptor” was a classic in its own right, Charlie Musselwhite’s performance made this a signature song. Fans are more likely to associate this tune with Musselwhite than Byrd as his instrumental version turned this jazzy number into a timeless experience. 1966’s Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite’s South Side Band was the album this musical treat featuring Musselwhite’s harmonica was recorded. It played a key role in its success, as well as earning a name for the solo artist despite the fact the label spelled his first name wrong.

When it was recorded in 1966, “Cristo Redemptor” was already in fine form. When Tennessee Woman was released in 1969, it was recorded again. The retake, which was extended to eleven minutes, also served as Musselwhite at his finest.

#1 – No Mercy in This Land (featuring Ben Harper)

In 2019, “No Mercy in This Land” won Song of the Year by the Blues Music Awards. The album with the same name was the second time Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite collaborated together on a studio recording. The first was 2013’s Get Up!, a Grammy Award winner for Best Blues Album. As a vocal talent, Ben Harper has been winning over the audience since he debuted in 1992. “No Mercy in This Land” was a gem when it was released with the album in 2018. It still makes its mark as a tune that demonstrates why Harper and Musselwhite work so well together.