Adam Gussow – Blues Harmonica, Books & The Meaning of It All

Talking Blues - Interview & Promote Blues Musicians by Matt Cooper

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Adam Gussow – Blues Harmonica, Books & The Meaning of It All

Adam Gussow didn’t just play the blues—he lived it on the streets of Harlem, side by side with the late Mister Satan. That legendary partnership shaped not just his music but his life’s work. These days, he’s a harmonica master, a blues scholar, and a full professor down at Ole Miss.

In this episode, we get into the whole journey, from busking on corners to writing some of the most talked-about books in blues culture. Titles like Mister Satan’s Apprentice, Seems Like Murder Here, Beyond the Crossroads, and Whose Blues?—books that ask big questions about race, music, and identity without losing the soul of the story. His latest, My Family and I: A Mississippi Memoir, takes it even further, peeling back the laye ... 

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Keywords
Blues FoundationBlues MusicBluesDelta BluesBlues EducationBlues HistoryAmerican Roots MusicTraditional BluesSouthern BluesBlues HarmonicaMusic HistoryTalking Blues PodcastAdam GussowMississippi DeltaHarlemMr. SatanSir RodBlues DoctorsSterling MageeMississippiHarmonicaharp playerBuskerStreet MusicianPrinceton University FacultyIvy League ScholarHohner Marine Band HarmonicaHohner Endorsed ArtistTraditional 10-Hole DiatonicHarlem Street BluesHarlem Music LegacyNew York Blues SceneHarlem Cultural RenaissanceBusking in HarlemBlack Perspectives on the Blues