I haven't always played harmonica. I haven't even always wanted to play harmonica. There was a time when it had yet to cross my mind. Long before Innocent Smith, The Twoe of Port Greywine, before Fluffy Road-kill and various other musical endeavors, I simply liked music. Then came David the Good. Actually, he was already around, having been a family friend since before I was born. His parents and mine were dear friends from when we lived in Florida and, while we moved to NC when I was but 2 y/o, we kept in touch and saw each other often. So although we lived 12 hours apart, I still feel as though I grew up with David and his family.
One summer, we spent a day together in the mountains of NC. I was just starting high school and Dave was wrapping up college. By then, he had put out an album or two on his own, and he invited me to write a song with him. He strummed a few chords and we threw together some words, scratch this, add that, try this, oh cool, etc. Eventually, we had a song! He told me to sing the verses and he sang the chorus, then suggested I play harmonica. Nothing that day had been “normal” or planned, so I was in the swing by then of just going with the flow. Besides, David's charisma and love for music was so contagious (it still is today) that I was just carried away by it. So, as history would tell it, I said yes and played the last few bars of the song. That was 14 years ago and I have yet to put the harmonica down.
Here is the infamous song and a little bonus