Philadelphia
is home to one of the finest blues harp players in the world, much to
the surprise of people not "inside" the blues scene. Over the past thiry-plus
years, Steve Guyger with his band, The Excellos, has been dishing out
some of the finest blues to be heard anywhere. Steve has toured with the
late Jimmy Rogers, among others, and
has played with many of the great Chicago bluesmen and contemporary
players, yet he remains one of the best kept secrets in blues. The late
William Clarke called Steve "the
best harp player I've ever seen." Mark Hummel called him "a monster
player." If you have heard Steve play, you know what they're talking
about. If you've never heard him, you're missing a major page in your
blues portfolio.
Steve began playing harp back in the late 60's on a harmonica given
to him by his future sister-in-law. Sometime later, his brother turned
him on to Paul Butterfield. Steve's passion for the blues harp took him
to Chicago to learn at the feet of the masters of the art. Each
trip taught him skills that he brought back to the local bands in which
he paid his dues. Steve has shared the stage with the greats in Chicago
and the contemporary harp players touring the world today, names like
Little Sammy Davis, Carey Bell, Rick
Estrin, Rod Piazza, Kim Wilson, Mark Hummel,
Charlie Musselwhite and many
others. His playing, vocals, songwriting and stage presence have earned
him a place among the best of the players on stage today.