Page 62 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2013

The Haret, American style blues OMB Photo courtesy Ryan Baer
wasn’t sure what was going to happen. No one had seen street
performers downtown, much less an OMB, but I found I had a nice
crowd gathering when two patrol cars arrived. The officers stood
there for a time behind the onlookers. I kept playing and smiling
(nervously, I’ll bet), and then one of them walked through the crowd
looking very tough, got real close and said, “You sound great man.”
They got back in their cars and drove away.
Later that night, the sidewalk crowd had disappeared and it was
dark and a little scary. As I was packing up, I noticed another patrol
car sitting just down the street. As I passed by them, they gave me a
“thumbs up” and a smile. They were there watching out for me. You
just never know what busking will bring.
Dave Harris, Victoria, BC’s bluesy 36-year OMB busking
veteran, performs with a huge fotdella, a foot-operated upright bass
box like Jesse Fuller once used. Harris, the author of the authoritative
reference book on OMBs called Head, Hands and Feet, recently
shared this magical story with me about busking:
“I was busking in my usual spot when a fellow approached me
saying how much he enjoyed it. He had an accent and when I
asked, he told me he was from New Zealand, he’d just sailed here
and had his guitar on the boat. I told him go get it and join me for
a tune or two. We played together all night and hit it off so well he
later came back to Victoria and stayed at my house. It just goes to
show how people from different backgrounds can connect through
music.”
Yep, a street corner,
a one-man-band, and a
little blues can bring us all
together.

William Toll (aka Sweet Willie
Tea) is a “one-man-band” in
the style of fellow Michigander,
the late Doctor Ross “The
Harmonica Boss.” He plays
original blues on the diddley-
bow, cigar box, resonator guitar
and percussion while singing
Author Sweet Willie Tea and playing harmonica.
Photo courtesy William Toll www.sweetwillietea.com

60 Blues Festival Guide 2013