Harmonica or didgeridoo, Harper knows the blues

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Harmonica or didgeridoo, Harper knows the blues
May 7, 2009
J. Sharpe Smith
Des Moines Register

he importance of migration cannot be underestimated in the life of Peter Harper. The bluesman has made two major moves, and has lived on three continents that could not be more different.

While migrating is not easy, it opened the door for the singer-songwriter to tap into a rich, diverse world-music sound.

The first major move was from England to Australia. His father brought the family to the isolated city of Perth, where he was looking for work. It was there that Harper was exposed to the world of the blues and the sounds of British blues rock icons, such as Led Zeppelin and Cream.
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"I like the honesty of blues music, because it is very raw and natural," Harper said in a phone interview. "There are no tricks involved. You are not hiding behind anything."

From the beginning, at age 18, Harper had his own concept of the kind of music he wanted to play, which differed from the bands in which he played. So, in 1998, he began touring solo with his band, "Harper."

"The first band I played with only did Chicago blues," Harper said. "I liked combining all the different kinds of music folk and the blues all the roots music."

Moving to western Australia also introduced Harper to the vast homeland of his Aboriginal ancestors. His attempts to get in touch with his roots have given him greater personal insight and a greater appreciation for the land. It also introduced him to the didgeridoo, which is the spiritual instrument of the Aborigines.

The didgeridoo can sound like a cross between the call of the humpback whale and a Tibetan monk throat-singing. It creates an eerie atmospheric drone, which contrasts with Harper's melodic harmonica flourishes, which combine the virtuosity of John Popper and Sonny Boy Williamson II.

"I started writing grooves that fit in with the didgeridoo, pulling from my loves for Bill Withers and the bass guitar," Harper said.

Harper, himself, uprooted his life and migrated to the Village of Grass Lake, Mich., three years ago when he was signed by Blind Pig Records.

"The Midwest is filled with a hard-working, blue-collar kind of people. It is the backbone of society," Harper said. "There are lots of places that accept the kind bluesy, rootsy music that I have loved since I was a kid."

Today, Harper continues his migration, only now he is moving forward musically with his interpretations of old-time bluesmen Booker White, Williamson and Little Walter.

"Those influences don't leave you when you are writing, even if you are off on a tangent," he said. "I am blending the blues with world music to make a tribal style of blues, and then I will throw in a rockin' blues song."