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Harvey on his music

“There is a distinct difference between being a good musician and playing a good song… It takes years to get to the point where there is nothing physical left to learn, where everything is purely in the mind. There’s always the physical part. Usually that’s the technique and that’s the fine point between a lot […]

UPDATE: August 30

In a word, Harvey says he is “miserable.” In our last August 8/17 I reported that while walking downstairs, Harvey fell off the last step and broke bones in his foot and left-hand pinky finger. Harvey blames his continually blurry eyes on the loss of his tear ducts in his last cancer surgery. He says […]

Harvey & Chicago Blues Reunion

Harvey comments: “Chicago Blues Reunion (CBR) is myself, a vocalist and guitarist, Nick Gravenites (Paul Butterfield,) and on keys, Barry Goldberg (The Rides, Bob Dylan) – we’re the founders of CBR. We hooked up at the Chicago Blues Fest. We added Gary Mallaber on drums (Steve Miller, Van Morrison,) Rick Reed on bass (Paul Butterfield) and […]

UPDATE: August 17

Harvey is still very weak His eyes are constantly blurry, and of course his nose, or lack thereof, continually give him trouble. So much so, that while walking downstairs yesterday evening, he fell (crashed) off the last step. Harvey knew he was hurt bad and headed to the ER. After x-rays and exam, the doctor […]

Mandel and Mayall

With Canned Heat bassist Larry Taylor, Harvey Mandel joined John Mayall’s band for the next two years.[2] He is heard playing on the two albums from that period ‘USA Union’ and ‘Back to the Roots.’ Mayall described his technique as Harvey’s wall of sound, which aptly encompasses his early mastery of controlled feedback through his […]

UPDATE: August 11

Harvey has been feeling a little better these last few days. First off, his latest MRI shows no new cancer seen, which is totally great news. And he’s no longer taking antibiotics, ending a seven-and-a-half-week ordeal with as he calls it “weird infection.” Harvey has a new dental surgery scheduled (ouch!) and is meeting with […]

UPDATE: July 28

Harvey’s MRI on Tuesday showed improvements The cancer is under control, and the infection that nearly killed him, is gone. So today his PICC will be removed from his chest and he can now start nasal reconstruction. Nasal reconstruction is a very complex surgery performed by an otolaryngologist in conjunction with a plastic surgeon. Recovery […]

Harvey “The Snake” Mandel – A Musician’s Musician

Harvey “The Snake” Mandel’s ground-breaking and masterful electric guitar work has influenced countless artists. He’s recorded with the Rolling Stones, toured with John Mayall, and played with Canned Heat at Woodstock. The term “musician’s musician” is all too frequently applied merely to artists lacking in popular notoriety rather than being reserved for those who truly […]

Psychedelic Blues guitarist

Harvey Mandel is among the most innovative guitarists to emerge from the Chicago blues scene of the late 1960s. His career began at Twist City and other local hotspots, sharing stages with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Buddy Guy. He came up in that scene alongside Charlie Musselwhite, Mike Bloomfield, Barry Goldberg, and Steve Miller. […]

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