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115-451: Hugh Anthony Cregg III (born July 5, 1950), known professionally as Huey Lewis , is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Lewis sings lead and plays harmonica for his band, Huey Lewis and the News , in addition to writing or co-writing many of the band's songs. The band is perhaps best known for their third, and best-selling, album Sports , and their contribution to the soundtrack of

230-510: A Behind the Music episode, Lewis had discussed the settlement in violation of their nondisclosure agreement. Lewis lives on a ranch near Stevensville, Montana . He considers it his permanent residence. He married his manager's secretary, Sidney Conroy, in 1983 in Hawaii. They separated six years later. They have a daughter and a son. In April 2018, Lewis revealed that he had hearing loss as

345-462: A "punchy" midrange sound that could be heard above an electric guitar. Also, tube amplifiers produce a natural growling overdrive when cranked at higher volumes, which adds body, fullness, and "grit" to the sound. Little Walter also cupped his hands around the instrument, tightening the air around the harp, giving it a powerful, distorted sound, somewhat reminiscent of a saxophone, hence the term "Mississippi saxophone". Some harmonica players in folk use

460-454: A blow reed and a draw reed in the same air chamber and to play them separately without relying on flaps of plastic or leather (valves, wind-savers) to block the nonplaying reed. An important technique in performance is bending , causing a drop in pitch by making embouchure adjustments. Bending isolated reeds is possible, as on chromatic and other harmonica models with wind-savers, but also to both lower, and raise (overbend, overblow, overdraw)

575-480: A cell and leakage through the nonplaying reed would be significant. For example, when a draw note is played, the valve on the blow reed-slot is sucked shut, preventing air from leaking through the inactive blow reed. An exception to this is the now-discontinued Hohner XB-40, on which valves are placed not to isolate single reeds, but rather to isolate entire chambers from being active, a design that made playing traditional blues bends possible on all reeds. The mouthpiece

690-459: A cloth maker and weaver from Trossingen , copied a harmonica his neighbour had brought from Vienna. He had such success that eventually his brother and some relatives also started to make harmonicas. From 1840, his nephew Christian Weiss was also involved in the business. By 1855, there were at least three harmonica-making businesses: C. A. Seydel Söhne , Christian Messner & Co., and Württ. Harmonikafabrik Ch. Weiss. (Currently, only C.A. Seydel

805-447: A different timbre, so that they often function in place of a brass section. In the past, they were referred to as horn harmonicas. The other type of orchestral melodic harmonica is the polyphonia, (though some are marked "chromatica"). These have all twelve chromatic notes laid out on the same row. In most cases, they have both blow and draw of the same tone, though the No. 7 is blow only, and

920-520: A few orchestra harmonicas are also designed to serve as both bass and chord harmonica, with bass notes next to chord groupings. There are also other chord harmonicas, such as the Chordomonica (which operates similar to a chromatic harmonica), and the junior chord harmonicas (which typically provide six chords). The Suzuki SSCH-56 Compact Chord harmonica is a 48-chord harmonica built in a 14-hole chromatic harmonica enclosure. The first three holes play

1035-403: A full chromatic (12-note) octave. Pitch pipes are also sold for string players, such as violinists and guitarists; these pitch pipes usually provide the notes corresponding to the open strings. Vibrato is a technique commonly used while playing the harmonica and many other instruments, to give the note a 'shaking' sound. This technique can be accomplished in a number of ways. The most common way

1150-673: A handful of London acts such as Brinsley Schwarz who had been victims of the prevailing big-venue system. Along with Max Merritt and the Meteors who were originally from Australia and had moved to London, Kilburn and the High Roads , Bees Make Honey , Ace , Eggs Over Easy , Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers , Dr. Feelgood , Ducks Deluxe , Rockpile , Any Trouble , The Pirates, The Motors , F.B.I., Gozales, Wreckless Eric, The Inmates, Roogalator , and Kokomo. Most of

1265-587: A handful of recordings in the early 1900s, generally labeled as a "mouth organ". The first jazz or traditional music recordings of harmonicas were made in the U.S. in the mid-1920s. Recordings known at the time as "race records", intended for the black market of the southern states, included solo recordings by DeFord Bailey and duo recordings with a guitarist ( Hammie Nixon , Walter Horton , or Sonny Terry ). Hillbilly styles were also recorded, intended for white audiences, by Frank Hutchison , Gwen Foster and several other musicians. There are also recordings featuring

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1380-413: A major chord on blow and draw, with and without the slide. Holes 2, 3, and 4 play a diminished chord; holes 3, 4, and 5 play a minor chord; and holes 4, 5, and 6 play an augmented, for a total of sixteen chords. This pattern is repeated starting on hole 5, a whole step higher; and again starting on hole 9, for a total of 48 chords. The ChengGong harmonica has a main body, and a sliding mouthpiece. The body

1495-497: A much lower break-even point for a record than a major label. With pub rock's emphasis on small venues, simple, fairly inexpensive recordings and indie record labels, it was the catalyst for the development of the British punk rock scene. Despite these shared elements, though, there was a difference between the genres: while pub rock harked back to early rock and roll and R&B , punk was iconoclastic , and sought to break with

1610-540: A particular comb material over another one is its durability. In particular, a wooden comb can absorb moisture from the player's breath and contact with the tongue. This can cause the comb to expand slightly, making the instrument uncomfortable to play, and to then contract, potentially compromising air tightness. Various types of wood and treatments have been devised to reduce the degree of this problem. An even more serious problem with wooden combs, especially in chromatic harmonicas (with their thin dividers between chambers),

1725-539: A plane ticket back to the US. Upon his return, Lewis entered the engineering program at Cornell University. While there he made friends with Lance and Larry Hoppen who later played with Orleans and Eddie Tuleja of King Harvest . Initially an active student, Lewis soon lost interest in college. He signed up with a band called Slippery Elm, and in December 1969 during his junior year, he dropped out of Cornell and moved back to

1840-660: A range of techniques that exploit properties of the microphone and the amplifier, such as changing the way the hands are cupped around the instrument and the microphone or rhythmically breathing or chanting into the microphone while playing. The harmonica was developed in Europe in the early part of the 19th century. Free-reed instruments like the Chinese sheng had been fairly common in East Asia since ancient times. They became relatively well known in Europe after being introduced by

1955-591: A recurring character on Hot in Cleveland . Lewis provides the voice of Bulworth the junkyard dog in the animated series Puppy Dog Pals . In 2013, he played himself in a parody of himself in American Psycho with "Weird Al" Yankovic . On October 21, 2015, on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live , Lewis reprised his role from Back to the Future in a segment where Marty McFly and Doc Brown arrive in

2070-594: A regular vocal microphone, such as a Shure SM 58 , for their harmonica, which gives a clean, natural sound. As technology in amplification has progressed, harmonica players have introduced other effects units to their rigs, as well, such as reverb , tremolo , delay , octave , additional overdrive pedals, and chorus effect . John Popper of Blues Traveler uses a customized microphone that encapsulates several of these effects into one handheld unit, as opposed to several units in sequence. Many harmonica players still prefer tube amplifiers to solid-state ones, owing to

2185-429: A result of Ménière's disease , and canceled all upcoming tour dates. See Huey Lewis and the News discography for albums and singles by the band. Below are specific contributions by Lewis as a solo artist. The following table denotes singles that Lewis has charted with solo credits: Harmonica Reeds are tuned to individual pitches. Tuning may involve changing a reed's length, the weight near its free end, or

2300-428: A tenth of the sales of mainstream bands. The pub rock scene was primarily a live phenomenon. During the peak years of 1972 to 1975, there was just one solitary Top 20 single ( Ace 's " How Long "), and all the bands combined sold less than an estimated 150,000 albums. Many acts suffered in the transition from pub to studio recording and were unable to recapture their live sound. The genre's primary characteristic is, as

2415-687: Is True , minus Lewis and Alex Call, the singers. As Lewis told Rolling Stone years later, "there isn’t any harmonica. I tell people, 'All the harmonica that isn’t on the Elvis Costello record was played by me.'" In 1978 the band returned to California, McFee joined the Doobie Brothers , and Clover disbanded. McFee and Lewis, credited as Huey Harp, both appear as guest musicians on the George Hatcher Band's 1977 sophomore album, Talkin' Turkey , produced by Tom Allom . Under

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2530-474: Is a 24-hole diatonic harmonica that ranges from B 2 to D 6 (covering 3 octaves). Its 11-hole mouthpiece can slide along the front of the harmonica, which gives numerous chord choices and voicings (seven triads, three 6th chords, seven 7th chords, and seven 9th chords, for a total of 24 chords). As well, it is capable of playing single-note melodies and double stops over a range of three diatonic octaves. Unlike conventional harmonicas, blowing and drawing produce

2645-791: Is credited with inventing the blow and draw mechanism), was created in 1826 and was eventually adopted nearly universally. In Germany, violin manufacturer Johann Georg Meisel from Klingenthal bought a harmonica with chambers (Kanzellen) at an exhibition in Braunschweig in 1824. He and the ironworker Langhammer copied the instruments in Graslitz three miles away; by 1827 they had produced hundreds of harmonicas. Many others followed in Germany and also nearby Bohemia that would later become Czechoslovakia . In 1829, Johann Wilhelm Rudolph Glier also began making harmonicas. In 1830, Christian Messner,

2760-420: Is essential to the functioning of the instrument because it provides a groove for the slide. Since the 1950s, many blues harmonica players have amplified their instrument with microphones and tube amplifiers . One of the early innovators of this approach was Marion " Little Walter " Jacobs, who played the harmonica near a "Bullet" microphone marketed for use by radio taxi dispatchers. This gave his harmonica tone

2875-534: Is intended to play in only one key, the 12-, 14-, and 16-hole models (which are tuned to equal temperament) allow the musician to play in any key desired with only one harmonica. This harp can be used for any style, including Celtic, classical, jazz, or blues (commonly in third position). Strictly speaking, diatonic denotes any harmonica designed to play in a single key—though the standard Richter-tuned diatonic harmonica can play other keys by forcing its reeds to play tones that are not part of its basic scale. Depending on

2990-410: Is often needed to find one that feels suitable for each individual player. This device is used by folk musicians, one-man bands , and singer-songwriters such as Bob Dylan , Edoardo Bennato , Tom Harmon , Neil Young , Eddie Vedder , Billy Joel , Bruce Springsteen , and blues singers Jimmy Reed and John Hammond Jr. The chromatic harmonica uses a button-activated sliding bar to redirect air from

3105-561: Is placed between the air chambers of the instrument and the player's mouth. This can be integral with the comb (the diatonic harmonicas; the Hohner Chrometta); part of the cover (as in Hohner's CX-12); or may be a separate unit, secured by screws, which is typical of chromatics. In many harmonicas, the mouthpiece is purely an ergonomic aid designed to make playing more comfortable. In the traditional slider-based chromatic harmonica, it

3220-471: Is still in business.) Owing to competition between the harmonica factories in Trossingen and Klingenthal, machines were invented to punch the covers for the reeds. In 1857, Matthias Hohner, a clockmaker from Trossingen, started producing harmonicas. Eventually he became the first to mass-produce them. He used a mass-produced wooden comb that he had made by machine-cutting firms. By 1868, he began supplying

3335-439: Is that of the 'trill' (or 'roll', or 'warble, or 'shake'); this technique has the player move their lips between two holes very quickly, either by shaking the head in a rapid motion or moving the harmonica from side to side within the embouchure. This gives a quick pitch-alternating technique that is slightly more than vibrato and achieves the same aural effect on sustained notes, albeit by using two different tones instead of varying

3450-410: Is that, as the combs expand and shrink over time, cracks can form in the combs, because the comb is held immobile by nails, resulting in disabling leakage. Serious players devote significant effort to restoring wood combs and sealing leaks. Some players used to soak wooden-combed harmonicas ( diatonics , without wind-savers) in water to cause a slight expansion, which they intended to make the seal between

3565-440: Is to change how the harmonica is held. For example, the vibrato effect can be achieved by opening and closing the hands around the harmonica very rapidly. The vibrato might also be achieved via rapid glottal (vocal fold) opening and closing, especially on draws (inhalation) simultaneous to bending, or without bending. This obviates the need for cupping and waving the hands around the instrument during play. An effect similar to vibrato

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3680-461: Is used often in East Asian rock and pop music. Orchestral harmonicas are primarily designed for use in ensemble playing. There are eight kinds of orchestral melody harmonica; the most common are the horn harmonicas often found in East Asia. These consist of a single large comb with blow-only reed-plates on the top and bottom. Each reed sits inside a single cell in the comb. One version mimics

3795-644: The Aeolian harp ). Mouth-blown free-reed instruments appeared in the United States, South America, the United Kingdom and Europe at roughly the same time. These instruments were made for playing classical music. The harmonica first appeared in Vienna, where harmonicas with chambers were sold before 1824 (see also Anton Reinlein and Anton Haeckl ). Richter tuning, invented by Joseph Richter (who also

3910-846: The Dagenham Roundhouse , the Grand in Leigh on Sea and the Admiral Jellicoe on Canvey Island . This network of venues later formed a ready-made launch pad for the punk scene. In 1974, pub rock was the hottest scene in London. At that point it seemed that nearly every large pub in London was supplying live music, along with hot snacks and the occasional stripper. The figureheads were Essex-based R&B outfit Dr. Feelgood . By Autumn 1975, they were joined by acts such as Hammersmith Gorillas , Joe Strummer 's 101ers , Eddie and

4025-609: The San Francisco Bay Area . He stated California was where "it was all happening." His aim was to continue playing music, though along the way he also tried other fields of work including landscaping, carpentry, wedding and event planning, as well as delivering and selling natural foods. In 1971 Lewis joined the Bay Area band Clover . Around this time he took the stage name "Hughie Louis", the spelling of which he would tinker with for some years after. Other members of

4140-671: The War Department allotted a rationed supply of brass to Kratt's factory so they could continue to produce harmonicas that the Red Cross distributed to American troops overseas to boost morale. In 1898, the harmonica was brought to Japan, where the Tremolo harmonica was the most popular instrument. After about 30 years, the Japanese developed scale tuning and semitone harmonicas that could play Japanese folk songs. In Europe and

4255-628: The central belt in Scotland also produced local bands such as The Cheetahs and The Plastic Flies. Pub rockers believed that mainstream stars who played at arenas had lost touch with their audiences. Instead, pub rock groups preferred intimate venues, which were essential to creating meaningful music and connecting with the audience. Pub rock's small venue approach increased the importance of good songwriting and well-written lyrics, in contrast to mainstream pop which had marginalised both elements. The UK pub rock scene wound down by 1976. The record industry

4370-419: The 1950s, in which the reed and reed plate were molded out of a single piece of plastic. The Magnus design had the reeds, reed plates, and comb made of plastic and either molded or permanently glued together. Cover plates cover the reed plates and are usually made of metal, though wood and plastic have also been used. The choice of these is personal; because they project sound, they determine the tonal quality of

4485-404: The 1960s, with 100 members, most of whom played harmonicas. Non-harmonica instruments were also used, such as double bass, accordion, piano, and percussion such as timpani and xylophone. Pub rock (United Kingdom) Pub rock is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the early to mid-1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement, which incorporated roots rock , pub rock

4600-471: The 1985 feature film Back to the Future . Lewis previously played with the band Clover from 1972 to 1979. Huey Lewis was born in New York City . His father, Hugh Anthony Cregg Jr., was an Irish-American from Boston , and his mother, Maria Magdalena Barcinska, was Polish, from Warsaw . His grandfather, Hugh Cregg , was district attorney of Essex County, Massachusetts from 1931 to 1959. Lewis

4715-470: The 2005 Jammy Awards and is featured on two tracks of their album Safety in Numbers . On February 13, 2007, Lewis was interviewed on the podcast series Stuck in the 1980s. During the interview, he revealed that the band had written several new songs that they planned to record in 2008. He also stated that, given how much the industry has changed since their last album, he was unsure how they would sell

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4830-536: The ABC television series Dancing with the Stars , where he performed "The Heart of Rock & Roll" in celebration of the 30th anniversary release of Sports and a concert tour with the News. On April 13, 2018, Lewis announced that he had been diagnosed with Ménière's disease , and that he "couldn't hear well enough to sing". As a result, the remaining shows scheduled for the 2018 tour were cancelled. In November 2023, it

4945-693: The China Harmonica Society, and the Heart String Harmonica Society. During the 1950s, chromatic harmonica became popular in Hong Kong, and players such as Larry Adler and John Sebastian Sr. were invited to perform. Local players such as Lau Mok ( 劉牧 ) and Fung On ( 馮安 ) promoted the chromatic harmonica. The chromatic harmonica gradually became the main instrument used by the Chinese Y.M.C.A. Harmonica Orchestra. The Chinese YMCA Harmonica Orchestra started in

5060-530: The Dr. Feelgood album Stupidity as "the way rock should be". Apart from the ready-made live circuit, punk also inherited the energy of pub rock guitar heroes like Dr. Feelgood's Wilko Johnson , his violence and mean attitude. Dr. Feelgood have since been described as John the Baptist to punk's messiahs. In the gap between the music-press hype and vinyl releases of early punk, the rowdier Pub Rock bands even led

5175-565: The French Jesuit Jean Joseph Marie Amiot (1718–1793), who lived in Qing-era China. Around 1820, free-reed designs began being created in Europe. Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann is often cited as the inventor of the harmonica in 1821, but other inventors developed similar instruments at the same time. In 1829, Charles Wheatstone developed a mouth-organ under the name "Aeolina" (inspired by

5290-559: The Hot Rods , and The Count Bishops . Pub rock was rapidly overtaken by the UK punk explosion after spawning what are now seen as several proto-punk bands. Some artists were able to make the transition by jumping ship to new outfits, notably Joe Strummer, Ian Dury and Elvis Costello . A few stalwarts were later able to realise Top 40 chart success, but the moment was gone. Many of the actual pubs themselves survived as punk venues (especially

5405-869: The Hot Rods and the Sex Pistols were both considered rival kings of "street rock". The Pistols played support slots for the Blockheads and the 101ers at the Nashville. Their big break was supporting Eddie and the Hot Rods at the Marquee in Feb 1976. Dr. Feelgood played with the Ramones in New York. The word "punk" debuted on Top of the Pops on a T-shirt worn by a Hot Rod. Punk fanzine Sniffin' Glue reviewed

5520-476: The Kursaal Flyers , Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers ). While pub rockers did not have expensive stage shows, they took inspiration from early R&B and increased the dynamism and intensity of their live shows. Pub rock allowed a variety of singers and musicians to perform, even if they did not adhere to a clearly defined musical genre. Major labels scouted pub rock acts, thinking they might find

5635-655: The Nashville and The Hope & Anchor), but a range of notable pubs such as the George Robey and the Pied Bull have since been closed or demolished. The Newlands Tavern survived. Now called The Ivy House, in 2023 it is once again a thriving music venue showcasing many new bands. According to Nostalgia Central, "Pub rock may have been killed by punk, but without it there might not have been any punk in Britain at all". The boundaries were originally blurred: at one point,

5750-496: The No. 261, also blow only, has two reeds per hole, tuned an octave apart (all these designations refer to products of M. Hohner). The chord harmonica has up to 48 chords: major , seventh , minor , augmented and diminished for ensemble playing. It is laid out in four-note clusters, each sounding a different chord on inhaling or exhaling. Typically each hole has two reeds for each note, tuned to one octave of each other. Less expensive models often have only one reed per note. Quite

5865-1153: The Pegasus Pub on Green Lanes , The Torrington in North Finchley, Dingwalls and the Dublin Castle in Camden Town , the Pied Bull at Angel , Bull and Gate in Kentish Town , the Kensington near Olympia , the Newlands Tavern in Nunhead, the Cricketers at Kennington Oval, Half Moon in Putney and Half Moon in Herne Hill (south London outposts) and The Sir George Robey in Finsbury Park . Out of London, venues included

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5980-634: The Sex Pistols' Steve Jones , who complained "if we had played those complicated chords we would have sounded like Dr. Feelgood or one of those pub rock bands". By the time the Year Zero of punk (1976) was over, punks wanted nothing to do with pub rockers. Bands like the Stranglers were shunned but they did not care. It was independent record label Stiff Records , formed from a £400 loan from Dr. Feelgood's Lee Brilleaux, who went on to release

6095-582: The United States, tremolo harmonica uses the Richter tuning, developed in Germany. In 1913, Shōgo Kawaguchi ( 川口章吾 ), known in Japan as the "Father of the harmonica", devised an alternate tuning, which is more suited to playing Japanese folk tunes. This tuning is also suited to local music throughout East Asia, and harmonicas using the tuning became popular in the region. Initial diatonic harmonica tunings were major key only. In 1931, Hiderō Satō ( 佐藤秀廊 ) announced

6210-410: The United States. By the 1920s, the diatonic harmonica had largely reached its modern form. Other types followed soon thereafter, including the various tremolo and octave harmonicas. By the late 19th century, harmonica production was a big business, having evolved into mass production. New designs were still developed in the 20th century, including the chromatic harmonica, first made by Hohner in 1924,

6325-676: The United States. Its music rapidly became popular, and the country became an enormous market for Hohner's goods. US president Abraham Lincoln carried a harmonica in his pocket, and harmonicas provided solace to soldiers on both the Union and Confederate sides of the American Civil War . Frontiersmen Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid played the instrument, and it became a fixture of the American musical landscape. Harmonicas were heard on

6440-520: The album had five top-10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified triple platinum. Lewis and his bandmates performed on USA for Africa 's 1985 fund-raising single " We Are the World ". The remainder of the 1980s and early 1990s were mostly spent touring and recording fourteen top-20 Billboard Hot 100 hits and releasing two more hit albums: Small World (1988), which reached number 11 on

6555-730: The album reached the top-10 of the Billboard Hot 100 : " Heart and Soul " reached No. 8, while " I Want a New Drug ", " The Heart of Rock & Roll ", and " If This Is It " all reached No. 6. Lewis knew Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds from having played harmonica on their 1979 albums ("Labour of Lust" and "Repeat When Necessary") and produced Lowe's 1985 version of " I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll) ". He later produced several songs (including one where he sang backup and played harmonica) on Bruce Hornsby & The Range 's debut album, The Way It Is . Hornsby thanked him by writing

6670-508: The amplitude of one. In addition to the 19 notes readily available on the diatonic harmonica, players can play other notes by adjusting their embouchure and forcing the reed to resonate at a different pitch. This technique is called bending , a term possibly borrowed from guitarists, who literally bend a string to subtly change the pitch. Bending also creates the glissandos characteristic of much blues harp and country harmonica playing. Bends are essential for most blues and rock harmonica due to

6785-555: The army". Pub rock groups disdained any form of flashy presentation. Scene leaders like Dr. Feelgood , Kilburn and the High Roads and Ducks Deluxe played simple, "back to mono" rhythm and blues in the tradition of white British groups like the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds , with fuzzy overdriven guitars and whiny vocals. Lesser known acts played funky soul ( Kokomo , Clancy , Cado Belle ) or country rock (

6900-439: The attention of classical musicians during the 1930s. American Larry Adler was one of the first harmonica players to perform major works written for the instrument by the composers Ralph Vaughan Williams , Malcolm Arnold , Darius Milhaud , and Arthur Benjamin . Harmonicas were scarce in the United States during World War II . Wood and metal materials for harmonicas were in short supply because of military demand. Furthermore,

7015-455: The band (at various points) included John McFee and Alex Call. Lewis played harmonica and sang lead vocals on a few tunes. In 1976, after playing in the Bay Area with limited success, Clover went to Los Angeles. They had their big break in a club there when their act was caught by Nick Lowe , who convinced Clover to travel to Great Britain with him. However, Clover arrived in Britain just as their folk-rock sound, known as pub rock in Britain,

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7130-525: The band finally broke through to Top 40 success with the gold album Picture This (1982). It rose to No. 13 on the albums chart thanks to the Mutt Lange-penned " Do You Believe in Love " (No. 7), the band's first hit. The band's third LP, Sports (1983), is one of the best-selling pop releases of all time. It became a No. 1 hit in 1984 and had multi-platinum success in 1985. Four singles from

7245-667: The basic notes on the instrument would mean playing in a specific mode for each position. For example the Mixolydian mode (root note is the second draw or third blow), produces a major dominant seventh key that is frequently used by blues players because it contains the harmonically rich dominant seventh note, while the Dorian mode (root note is four draw) produces a minor dominant seventh key. Harmonica players (especially blues players) have developed terminology around different "positions," which can be confusing to other musicians, for example

7360-529: The bass harmonica, and the chord harmonica. In the 21st century, radical new designs have been developed and are still being introduced into the market, such as the Suzuki Overdrive, Hohner XB-40, and the ill-fated Harrison B-Radical. Diatonic harmonicas were designed primarily for playing German and other European folk music and have succeeded well in those styles. Over time, the basic design and tuning proved adaptable to other types of music such as

7475-420: The blues, country , old-time and more. The harmonica was a success almost from the very start of production, and while the center of the harmonica business has shifted from Germany, the output of the various harmonica manufacturers is still very high. Major companies are now found in Germany ( Seydel and Hohner – the dominant manufacturer in the world), South Korea ( Miwha , Dabell ), Japan ( Suzuki , Tombo –

7590-482: The charge for those impatient for actual recorded music, but it was not to last. Punks such as Sex Pistols singer John Lydon eventually rejected the pub rock bands as "everything that was wrong with live music" because they had failed to fight the stadium scene and, as he saw it, preferred to narrow themselves into an exclusive pub clique. The back-to-basics approach of pub rock apparently involved chord structures that were still too complicated for punk guitarists like

7705-454: The charts, and Hard at Play (1991) which peaked at number 27. Lewis had a planned solo album titled Back in Blue that was canceled in the mid-1990s due to living arrangement issues on the part of Lewis. One of the songs from that cancelled project, "100 Years From Now", was later used for the compilation album Time Flies... The Best Of . Lewis has sung with Chicago-based progressive jam band Umphrey's McGee at several shows beginning with

7820-437: The comb, reed plates, and covers more airtight. Modern wooden-combed harmonicas are less prone to swelling and contracting, but modern players still dip their harmonicas in water for the way it affects tone and ease of bending notes. The reed plate is a grouping of several reeds in a single housing. The reeds are usually made of brass, but steel, aluminium, and plastic are occasionally used. Individual reeds are usually riveted to

7935-646: The country back to New York City and how he learned to play the harmonica while waiting for rides. He talked about hanging out at the airport for three days until he stowed away on a plane to Europe. In later interviews, Lewis would reveal other encounters he had traveling around Europe. While visiting Aberdeen , Scotland, with no money and nowhere to sleep, he claimed that the locals were very hospitable by offering him somewhere to stay. In Madrid , Spain, he became an accomplished blues player as he hitchhiked and supported himself by busking with his harmonica. He gave his first concerts in Madrid, earning enough money to buy

8050-450: The country, "diatonic harmonica" may mean either the tremolo harmonica (in East Asia) or blues harp (in Europe and North America). Other diatonic harmonicas include octave harmonicas. Here is the note layout for a standard diatonic in the key of G major: Each hole is the same interval (here, a perfect fifth ) from its key of C counterpart; on the diatonic scale, a G is a perfect fifth from C. The interval between keys can be used to find

8165-471: The development of a minor key harmonica. There are two types of minor key tunings, "natural minor" suitable for folk and contemporary music, and Latin American music, and the "harmonic minor" suitable for some famous Japanese pieces. The harmonica started to gain popularity in Hong Kong in the 1930s. Individual tremolo harmonica players from China moved to Hong Kong and established numerous harmonica organizations such as The Chinese Y.M.C.A. Harmonica Orchestra,

8280-769: The eve of his 58th birthday, Huey Lewis and the News were the opening act for the annual A Capitol Fourth celebration on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. More than a half million people attended and was broadcast live on PBS . The band performed "The Heart of Rock & Roll", "The Power of Love" and " Workin' for a Livin' ". On May 29, 2011, Lewis played the annual Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, Illinois , along with Umphrey's McGee. They were billed as Huey Lewis and The Rumors. Together they played covers as well as songs from both their respective catalogs. On April 2, 2013, Lewis appeared on

8395-477: The expanding popularity of the harmonica was a New York-based radio program called the Hohner Harmony Hour , which taught listeners how to play. Listeners could play along with the program to increase their proficiency. The radio program gained wide popularity after the unveiling of the 1925 White House Christmas tree, which was adorned with fifty harmonicas. The harmonica's versatility brought it to

8510-399: The goal of creating highly polished end products, with overdubs, double-tracking and studio effects . Some mainstream bands spent months in the studio perfecting their recording, to achieve a meticulously crafted and perfect product. Pub rockers rejected this type of costly, complex recording process; instead, with pub rockers, the goal was simply to capture the band's "live" sound and feel in

8625-483: The harmonica in jug bands , of which the Memphis Jug Band is the most famous. But the harmonica still represented a toy instrument in those years and was associated with the poor. It is also during those years that musicians started experimenting with new techniques such as tongue-blocking, hand effects and the most important innovation of all, the second position, or cross-harp. A significant contributor to

8740-416: The harmonica more economical to mass-produce and more sanitary. Though the plastic reeds in these harmonicas produced a less distinctive (and, to many ears, inferior) sound than their metallic counterparts, Magnus harmonicas and several imitators soon became commonplace, particularly among children. The patent for the plastic comb was awarded to William Kratt of Wm. Kratt Company in 1952. During World War II,

8855-704: The harmonica. Two types of cover plates are used: traditional open designs of stamped metal or plastic, which are simply there to be held; and enclosed designs (such as the Hohner Meisterklasse and Super 64, Suzuki Promaster and SCX), which offer a louder tonal quality. From these two basic types, a few modern designs have been created, such as the Hohner CBH-2016 chromatic and the Suzuki Overdrive diatonic, which have complex covers that allow for specific functions not usually available in

8970-478: The hole in the mouthpiece to the selected reed-plate, though one design—the "Machino-Tone"—controlled airflow by means of a lever-operated flap on the rear of the instrument. Also, a "hands-free" modification to the Hohner 270 (12-hole) lets the player shift the tones by moving the mouthpiece up and down with the lips, leaving the hands free to play another instrument. While the Richter-tuned 10-hole chromatic

9085-547: The instrument while performing on another instrument with their hands (e.g., an acoustic guitar) often use an accessory called a neck rack or harmonica holder to position the instrument in front of their mouth. A harmonica holder clamps the harmonica between two metal brackets, which are attached to a curved loop of metal that rests on the shoulders. The original harmonica racks were made from wire or coat hangers. Models of harmonica racks vary widely by quality and ease of use, and experimenting with more than one model of harmonica rack

9200-493: The layout of a piano or mallet instrument, with the natural notes of a C diatonic scale in the lower reed plate and the sharps and flats in the upper reed plate in groups of two and three holes with gaps in between like the black keys of a piano. Another version has one "sharp" reed directly above its "natural" on the lower plate, with the same number of reeds on both plates (therefore including E ♯ and B ♯ ). Horn harmonicas are available in several pitch ranges, with

9315-473: The lowest pitched starting two octaves below middle C and the highest beginning on middle C itself; they usually cover a two- or three-octave range. They are chromatic instruments and are usually played in an East Asian harmonica orchestra instead of the " push-button " chromatic harmonica that is more common in the European and American tradition. Their reeds are often larger, and the enclosing "horn" gives them

9430-433: The manufacturer of the popular Lee Oskar harmonica, and Yamaha also made harmonicas until the 1970s), China (Huang, Easttop, Johnson, Leo Shi, Swan, AXL), and Brazil (Hering, Bends). The United States had two significant harmonica manufacturers, and both were based in Union, New Jersey . One was Magnus Harmonica Corporation , whose founder Finn Magnus is credited with the development of plastic harmonica reeds. The other

9545-635: The math portion of the SAT . He was also an all-state baseball player. Lewis attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. His mother had an extramarital affair with Beat Generation poet Lew Welch , who became his stepfather. Lewis credits Welch with inspiring him in his early teenage years. His mother was close friends with the Grateful Dead's manager and extended family. In an interview with David Letterman , Lewis talked about hitchhiking across

9660-501: The movie. "The Power of Love" was nominated for an Academy Award. Following the success of "The Power of Love" and Back to the Future , Huey Lewis and the News released their fourth studio album, Fore! in 1986. Fore! followed the success of Sports and reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album spawned the No. 1 singles, " Stuck with You " and "Jacob's Ladder" as well as the mainstream rock hit " Hip to Be Square ". In all,

9775-593: The name "Bluesy Huey Lewis", Lewis played harmonica on Thin Lizzy 's 1978 landmark album Live and Dangerous . That same year, he was playing at Uncle Charlie's, a club in Corte Madera, California , doing the "Monday Night Live" spot along with future members of the News. At this point, he had adopted the "Huey Lewis" spelling, and the band was billed as Huey Lewis and the American Express. After recording

9890-411: The name suggests, the pub. By championing smaller venues, the bands reinvigorated a local club scene that had dwindled since the 1960s as bands priced themselves into big theatres and stadia. New aspiring bands could now find venues to play without needing to have a record company behind them. Pub rock was generally restricted to Greater London over spilling slightly into the home counties , although

10005-592: The new material. During a show at the California State Fair on August 21, 2007, Lewis was named Sacramento 's Musician of the Year by the fair's general manager and presented with a gold statue of the California state bear. Lewis recorded a duet version of " Workin' for a Livin' " with Garth Brooks , which was included on Brooks's three-disc set The Ultimate Hits , in late 2007. On July 4, 2008,

10120-455: The next Beatles at a local pub; however A&R representatives decided that pub rock did not have potential for mass market hits. With no interest from major labels, pub rockers put out their records through small independent record labels such as Stiff Records and Chiswick Records . By 1975, the standard for mainstream rock album recordings was expensive, lengthy studio recording processes overseen by highly-paid record producers , with

10235-458: The note layout of any standard diatonic. The distinguishing feature of the tremolo-tuned harmonica is that it has two reeds per note, with one slightly sharp and the other slightly flat. This provides a unique wavering or warbling sound created by the two reeds being slightly out of tune with each other and the difference in their subsequent waveforms interacting with each other (its beat ). The East Asian version, which can produce all 12 semitones,

10350-457: The past musical traditions. Pub rock was deliberately nasty, dirty and post-glam. Dress style was based around denim and checked shirts, tatty jeans and droopy hair. The figureheads of the movement, Dr. Feelgood , were noted for their frontman's filthy white suit. Bands looked menacing and threatening, "like villains on The Sweeney ". According to David Hepworth , Dr. Feelgood looked as if they had "come together in some unsavoury section of

10465-626: The perceived difference in tone generated by the vacuum tubes . Players perceive tubes as having a "warmer" tone and a more "natural" overdrive sound. Many amplifiers designed for electric guitar are also used by harmonica players, such as the Kalamazoo Model Two , Fender Bassman , and the Danelectro Commando . Some expensive handmade boutique amplifiers are built from the ground up with characteristics that are optimal for amplified harmonica. Harmonica players who play

10580-405: The piece the band plays is an instrumental heavy metal version of "The Power of Love". (Lewis plays the audition committee leader, who, after glancing at the other, equally unimpressed fellow faculty members, picks up the megaphone and says, "Hold it, fellas ... I'm afraid you're just too darn loud. Next, please".) A poster for the album Sports is hanging on Marty's wall when he awakes at the end of

10695-425: The pitch produced by pairs of reeds in the same chamber, as on a diatonic or other unvalved harmonica. Such two-reed pitch changes actually involve sound production by the normally silent reed, the opening reed (for instance, the blow reed while the player is drawing). The basic parts of the harmonica are the comb, reed plates, and cover plates. The comb is the main body of the instrument, which, when assembled with

10810-454: The primary harmonica manufacturers were based in Germany and Japan, the enemies of the United States and the Allied forces in the war. During this time, Finn Haakon Magnus, a Danish-American factory worker and entrepreneur, developed and perfected the molded plastic harmonica. The plastic harmonica used molded plastic combs and far fewer pieces than traditional metal or wood harmonicas, which made

10925-458: The reed plate, but they may also be welded or screwed in place. Reeds fixed on the inner side of the reed plate (within the comb's air chamber) respond to blowing, while those fixed on the outer side respond to suction. Most harmonicas are constructed with the reed plates screwed or bolted to the comb or each other. A few brands still use the traditional method of nailing the reed plates to the comb. Some experimental and rare harmonicas also have had

11040-484: The reed plates held in place by tension, such as the WWII-era all-American models. If the plates are bolted to the comb, the reed plates can be replaced individually. This is useful because the reeds eventually go out of tune through normal use, and certain notes of the scale can fail more quickly than others. A notable exception to the traditional reed plate design is the all-plastic harmonicas designed by Finn Magnus in

11155-461: The reed plates, forms air chambers for the reeds. The term "comb" may originate from the similarity between this part of a harmonica and a hair comb. Harmonica combs were traditionally made from wood, but now are also made from plastic ( ABS ) or metal (including titanium for high-end instruments). Some modern and experimental comb designs are complex in the way that they direct the air. Dispute exists among players about whether comb material affects

11270-509: The same notes because its tuning is closer to the note layout of a typical East Asian tremolo harmonica or the Polyphonias. The pitch pipe is a simple specialty harmonica that provides a reference pitch to singers and other instruments. The only difference between some early pitch-pipes and harmonicas is the name of the instrument, which reflected the maker's target audience. Chromatic pitch pipes, which are used by singers and choirs, give

11385-558: The slang terminology for the most common positions (1st being 'straight', 2nd being 'cross', 3rd being 'slant', etc.). Another technique, seldom used to its full potential, is altering the size of the mouth cavity to emphasize certain natural overtones . When this technique is employed while playing chords, care must be taken in overtone selection as the overtones stemming from the non-root pitch can cause extreme dissonance. Harmonica players who amplify their instrument with microphones and tube amplifiers, such as blues harp players, also have

11500-521: The song " Jacob's Ladder ", a No. 1 single from the News' next album Fore! His song " The Power of Love " was a No. 1 U.S. hit and was featured in the 1985 film Back to the Future , for which they also recorded the song, " Back in Time ". Lewis has a cameo appearance in the film as a faculty member who rejects Marty McFly's band's audition for the school's "Battle of the Bands" contest. As an inside joke,

11615-436: The song "Exodisco" (a disco version of the theme from the film Exodus ) simply as American Express, Lewis landed a singles contract from Phonogram, and Bob Brown became his manager. The band played a few gigs (including an opening for Van Morrison ), before adding new guitarist Chris Hayes to the line-up. On Brown's advice, they changed their name again to Huey Lewis and The News. After a failed self-titled debut in 1980,

11730-495: The soulful sounds the instrument can bring out. The "wail" of the blues harp typically requires bending. In the 1970s, Howard Levy developed the over bending technique (also known as "overblowing" and "overdrawing".) Over Bending , combined with bending, allowed players to play the entire chromatic scale. In addition to playing the diatonic harmonica in its original key, it is also possible to play it in other keys by playing in other "positions" using different keynotes. Using just

11845-482: The stiffness near its fixed end. Longer, heavier, and springier reeds produce deeper, lower sounds; shorter, lighter, and stiffer reeds make higher-pitched sounds. If, as on most modern harmonicas, a reed is affixed above or below its slot rather than in the plane of the slot, it responds more easily to air flowing in the direction that initially would push it into the slot, i.e., as a closing reed. This difference in response to air direction makes it possible to include both

11960-544: The studio. The difference between mainstream rock and pub rock recording approaches not only produced different sounds (polished vs. raw), it also had a significant impact on the economics of each rock genre. With mainstream rock, the costly sound recording process meant that the break-even point for the record label was around 20,000 records; with pub rock, the less expensive recording process meant that pub rock labels could break even with as few as 2,000 records. This means that pub rock labels could afford to put out records with

12075-406: The time machine and talk to the host. On February 12, 2021, he played himself on an episode of The Blacklist . In 1985, Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr. over similarities between Parker's theme for the 1984 movie Ghostbusters and Lewis's " I Want a New Drug ". The case was settled out of court with both parties agreeing to keep the settlement secret. In 2001, Parker sued Lewis, alleging that in

12190-467: The tone of a harmonica. Those saying no argue that unlike the soundboard of a piano or the top piece of a violin or guitar, a harmonica's comb is neither large enough nor able to vibrate freely enough to substantially augment or change the sound. Among those saying yes are those who are convinced by their ears. Few dispute that comb surface smoothness and air tightness when mated with the reed plates can greatly affect tone and playability. The main advantage of

12305-454: The traditional design. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, harmonicas not uncommonly had special features on the covers, such as bells , which could be rung by pushing a button. Wind-savers are one-way valves made from thin strips of plastic, knit paper, leather, or Teflon glued to the reed plate. They are typically found in chromatic harmonicas, chord harmonicas, and many octave-tuned harmonicas. Wind-savers are used when two reeds share

12420-1043: The venues were in large Victorian pubs "north of Regents Park", where there were plenty of suitable establishments. One of the most notable venues was the Hope and Anchor pub on Islington 's Upper Street , still a venue. Following the Tally Ho and the Hope and Anchor came the Cock, the Brecknock, the Lord Nelson, the Greyhound in Fulham , the Red Lion, the Rochester Castle, the Nashville in West Kensington ,

12535-614: Was Wm. Kratt Company, which, founded by German-American William Jacob "Bill" Kratt Sr., originally made pitch pipes and later, in 1952, secured a patent for combs made of plastic. Both companies ceased harmonica production. The only recent American contender in the harmonica market was Harrison Harmonicas, which folded in July 2011. It was announced soon thereafter that the rights to the Harrison design had been sold to another company to finish production of orders already placed. In October 2012, it

12650-427: Was a reaction against the expensively-recorded and produced progressive rock and flashy glam rock scenes at the time. Although short-lived, pub rock was played live in small traditional venues like pubs and clubs. Since major labels showed no interest in pub rock groups, pub bands sought out independent record labels such as Stiff Records . Indie labels used relatively inexpensive recording processes, so they had

12765-530: Was already looking into early punk, thinking it might be the next "big thing". In 1976, some pub rock labels were putting out both the harder-edged pub rock acts and early punk bands such as The Damned . American country-rock band Eggs over Easy were the precursors of the movement when they broke the jazz-only policy of the "Tally Ho" pub in Kentish Town , in May 1971. They were impressive enough to inspire local musicians such as Nick Lowe . They were soon joined by

12880-731: Was announced that the musical The Heart of Rock and Roll featuring the band's music would debut on Broadway in March 2024. Lewis has been involved in the development of the show since 2018. After Lewis's cameo appearance as a teacher in Back to the Future , more substantial roles followed, including Vern Miller in Robert Altman's ensemble feature, Short Cuts , and Ricky Dean in Duets . He has performed in occasional television roles as well, including One Tree Hill , The King of Queens and

12995-426: Was being replaced by punk rock . The two Clover albums produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange for Phonogram were not successful. By this point the spelling of Cregg's stage name had changed to "Huey Louis"; it is under this spelling that he is billed on both of Clover's albums for Phonogram, although for songwriting credits he is billed as "H. Cregg". The band accompanied Elvis Costello on his debut album, My Aim

13110-731: Was raised in Marin County, California , living in Tamalpais Valley and Strawberry , and attending Strawberry Point Elementary School (where he skipped second grade) and Edna Maguire Junior High School in Mill Valley . When he was 13, his parents divorced. He attended and graduated from the Lawrenceville School , a then all-male prep school in New Jersey, in 1967, and he achieved a perfect score of 800 on

13225-571: Was revealed that a Beloit, Wisconsin , investment corporation, R&R Opportunities, had bought the assets of Harrison Harmonicas and that a feasibility study was under way to assess the possibilities of continued production of the Harrison B-Radical harmonica. Recently, responding to increasingly demanding performance techniques, the market for high-quality instruments has grown. Some time before Hohner began manufacturing harmonicas in 1857, he shipped some to relatives who had emigrated to

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