Gary Primich-A Biographical Note by Glenn Weiser

This is the bio note on Gary Primich from my harmonica transcription/instruction book Masters of the Blues Harp, which has a transcription of his Caravan from Travelin' Mood (Flying Fish 70635).

-Glenn Weiser

Considered one of the country’s top harp players, Gary Primich was born in Chicago in 1958 and raised in Hobart, Indiana. While still in his teens, he was hanging out on Chicago’s fabled Maxwell Street learning blues harmonica and guitar from the older players. By the early 80’s, he became unhappy with the Chicago’s blues scene, so after earning a degree in Radio and Television from Indiana University, he headed south to Austin, Texas to seek his musical fortune. He explained his reasons for leaving the Mecca of the blues to me in an e-mail:

"When I left Chicago in the early ‘80's the blues scene was in transition from

the "old sound" to a new, funky, more rock-oriented sound. I'm more of an old

school guy and there just didn't seem to be any room for someone of my musical orientation to grow and thrive there, given the changing climate for blues."

There he met up with former Mothers of Inventions drummer Jimmy Carl Black, where the pair assembled a band, the Mannish Boys, and recorded Primich’s first LP with them on the now bygone Amazing label. After another LP with the Mannish Boys, he struck out on his own with a couple of efforts under his own name before Amazing called it quits.

A stint with Chicago’s Flying Fish label followed, yielding two fine releases that allowed him to showcase his songwriting, followed by Company Man (1997) and Botheration (1999) on the Black Top label.

Gary also played on the soundtrack of the 1990 movie Ballad Of A Sad Café.

Sadly, Primich passed away at age 49 on September 25, 2007 in Austin of an apparent drug overdose.