Paul Oscher,
Award-winning blues singer, songwriter, recording artist, and
multi-instrumentalist, (harmonica, guitar, piano, melodica, and bass
harp), first came to national attention as Muddy Waters’
harmonica player, 1967-1972 following in the footsteps of Little
Walter, Junior Wells, James Cotton, and Big Walter Horton
Horton. Paul Oscher was the first white musician in the world to
become a full-time member of a black blues band of this stature.
Paul started playing the blues at the age of twelve when his uncle gave
him a marine band harmonica and was taught the rudiments of blues
harmonica by Jimmy Johnson, a southern medicine show harp player.
By the time Paul was fifteen he had hooked up with guitarist/singer
Little Jimmy Mae and was playing professionally in soul revues at
black clubs like the Baby Grand, The 521 Cub, Seville Lounge and the
Nitecap.
In the mid-l960s Paul met Muddy Waters back stage at the Apollo Theatre
and in 1967, when Muddy came to New York without a harp player, Paul sat
in with the band. He played two numbers:
"Baby Please Don’t Go" and "Blow Winds Blow." Muddy hired him on the
spot. Working alongside blues greats like Muddy Waters, Otis Spann,
Sammy Lawhorn, Pee Wee Madison and S.P. Leary, Paul learned the deep
Blues phrasing and timing characteristic of his music today. Paul lived
on the Southside of Chicago in Muddy Waters’ house along with Otis
Spann. Spann taught Paul the piano. Paul learned the guitar by looking
over the shoulders of Muddy and Sammy Lawhorn.
(Left to right) Paul Oscher, Otis Spann, S.P.
Leary, Pee Wee Madison,
Little Sonny, Muddy Waters, Snake Johnson - Germany, 1968
While in Muddy’s band Paul toured the US and abroad and
played all kinds of venues from the rough and tumble juke joints of the
chitlin’ circuit to the major concert stages of the world and during
that time backed up major blues artists such as John Lee Hooker, Earl
Hooker, Son House, Fred McDowell, Lightning Hopkins, T. Bone Walker,
Albert King, Magic Sam and Big Mama Thornton. Paul recorded a number of
records with Muddy Waters for the legendary Chess Records label in
Chicago. These recordings and live performances would influence an
entire generation of young players. Paul remained in Muddy’s band till
the end of 1971 when he left to form his own band using the name
Brooklyn Slim.
In 1976, Paul toured Europe with Louisiana Red and continued playing
with his own band in the New York area as well as backing up Big Joe
Turner, Doc Pomus, Victoria Spivey, Big Walter Horton Horton and Johnny
Copeland.
In the 80s, Paul quit music—he’d gotten tired of the life and the
disappointments—and got a day job. But he couldn’t stay away from the
blues for long and in 1992 hooked up with piano players Dave Maxwell and
Bob Gaddy and his old drummer Candy MacDonald and started playing again.
His career took off. He recorded several tapes for Mojo Productions and
Lollipop Records Under the name Brooklyn Slim. In 1994, Paul toured in
the US with Jimmy Rogers and the Muddy Waters Tribute Band. In 1995 he
recorded his first CD, The Deep Blues of Paul Oscher for
Blues Planet records which led to a second CD with Viceroy Records, Knockin’ on the Devils’ Door and a W.C. Handy Award
Nomination. Paul started touring the US and abroad with his own
six-piece band. Since that time Paul has recorded more CDs in his own
name and has appeared on other artists’ recordings and on videos and
movie soundtracks.
In 1999, Paul performed at the San Francisco Blues
Festival with Carey Belland Jerry Portnoy in a show
titled "The Super Harps of Muddy Waters" and traveled to Europe
with Willie "Big Eyes" Smith.
In October 2000, Paul Oscher won the L.A. Music Award for
"Outstanding Blues Artist of the Year".
Paul is now touring as a solo artist or in a trio setting. His "Alone
with the Blues" show, featuring Paul on harmonica, bass harmonica,
guitar and piano, has received rave reviews from blues fans, musicians,
press, promoters and club owners. As a songwriter, his songs have been
covered by Alligator recording artists Little Charlie & the Nightcats
and Blind Pig recording artist Big Bill Morganfield.
2004 was a busy and very productive year. Paul’s
Alone with the Blues album for the Electro-Fi label, was
released on May 18, 2004 and was nominated for FOUR 2005 W.C. Handy
Awards: "Acoustic Blues Album of the Year", "Acoustic Blues
Artist of the Year", "Harmonica instrumentalist of the Year", and
"Blues song of the Year". Paul also appeared on Mos Def’s CD
New Danger released Oct 12, 2004 on the Geffen label. Paul
is also a featured guest artist along with Mickey Champion and Johnny
Dyer on The Mannish Boys’ 2004 Delta Groove release That
Represent Man. Paul also appears on Mark Hummel and
Johnny Dyer’s tribute to Muddy Waters CD Rollin’ Fork
Revisited released Nov 2004 on Mountain Top records.
Hubert Sumlin, Eric Clapton. Dave Maxwell, Paul
Oscher, and Keith Richards
In the studio recording Hubert Sumlin's new album
In January 2005, the long awaited Hubert Sumlin
CD About Them Shoes was released on the Tone Cool/Artemis
label and features Paul along with Eric Clapton, Keith
Richards, Levon Helm and others. This album garnered a
Grammy nomination and won a Blues Music Awardfor
"Traditional Blues Album of the Year".
Paul’s
latest release, Down in the Delta, won two 2006 Blues
Music Awards (formerly W.C. Handy Awards); "Acoustic Album of the
Year" and "Acoustic Artist of the Year".
Paul is currently in the process of writing a book about his life’s
experience in the blues, some of which has already been quoted in
extensive interviews for Sandra Tooze’s book about Muddy Waters,
Mojo Man, and Robert Gordon’s book about Muddy Waters,
Can’t be Satisfied. An excerpt of Paul’s book appears in the
companion book to the PBS series Martin Scorsese Presents the
Blues.
As Muddy Waters’ harp player Paul Oscher inspired a whole generation of
blues players including Rick
Estrin, Jerry Portnoy, Paul Delay, and William Clark. Paul Oscher is the real
deal—he learned his blues from the Masters. He plays only the real,
unadulterated, down-in-the-alley, gutbucket blues. He is not a retro
player; he just plays the blues the way he learned them… lowdown and
lonesome and has been doing so for the last forty years.
Paul’s
latest release, Down in the Delta, won two 2006 Blues
Music Awards (formerly W.C. Handy Awards); "Acoustic Album of the
Year" and "Acoustic Artist of the Year".