Harmonica History & Blues Legends with Kim Field (Author of Harmonicas, Harps & Heavy Breathers)

Learn about Harmonica NorthWest at https://menucha.org/programs/harmonic... happening October 23–26, 2025 at the Menucha Retreat & Conference Center in Corbett, Oregon. Featuring Kim Field, Joe Filisko & Eric Noden, Ross Garren and Aki Kumar. Blues historian and harmonica lifer Kim Field joins Joe Filisko and Eric Noden to unpack the making of his landmark book Harmonicas, Harps, and Heavy Breathers—researched pre-internet via libraries, cold calls, and dozens of first-person interviews. He shares lessons from a hilariously underprepared first call to Toots Thielemans, the chromatic Rolodex he built through Charles Leighton, and unforgettable fieldwork with Herman Crook (backstage at the Opry) and DeFord Bailey (a private 45-minute set). Kim then tells how his 2023 oral-history, The Blues Dream of Billy Boy Arnold (Univ. of Chicago Press), came together—why Billy Boy’s memory is unmatched, and how 60–70 hours of phone interviews became a vivid, first-person Chicago blues narrative. This video was recorded in San Antonio, Texas at the SPAH Harmonica Convention Learn about SPAH at https://spah.org/ 00:00 – Welcome & Why Kim Field Matters 01:00 – How Harmonicas, Harps & Heavy Breathers Began 02:45 – First Interview Fail with Toots Thielemans 04:50 – Building a Network of Harmonica Legends 07:45 – Covering Blues, Classical, Country & More 09:10 – From 600 Pages to 350 (Simon & Schuster Story) 12:45 – Herman Crook & a Night Backstage at the Opry 15:50 – DeFord Bailey’s Private 45-Minute Concert 19:40 – Why the Book Still Stands the Test of Time 21:00 – Discovering Billy Boy Arnold’s Story 22:15 – 70 Hours of Interviews → Blues Dream 24:10 – Why First-Person Voice Brings History Alive 25:10 – Chicago Blues: Sonny Boy I, Little Walter & More 27:00 – “The Blues Will Go Worldwide”—Billy Boy’s Dream 28:10 – How the Book Came Together & Billy Boy’s Reaction 30:00 – Why Billy Boy Arnold’s Memory is a Goldmine 32:00 – From South Side Clubs to Global Blues Impact 40:30 – Final Thoughts & Where to Find Kim’s Books