Playing amplified blues harmonica at a professional level is a physically punishing act, and for William Clarke (1951-1996) that toll caught up with him on a stage in Indianapolis in the mid-1990s. This deep dive follows the Inglewood, California native who picked up the harmonica in 1967 at 16 and threw himself straight into the Los Angeles club scene, building a musical toolkit that fused aggressive amplified Chicago blues, swinging jump blues and the sophistication of soul jazz.

We break down the difference between cross harp on a diatonic harmonica and the chromatic harmonica with its slide button, explore his six-year apprenticeship with George Harmonica Smith from 1977 until Smith's death in 1983, and trace the independent-label grind through Hittin' Heavy, Blues from Los Angeles and Can't You Hear Me Calling. Then comes the tipping p ...