James Harman

Born in Anniston, Alabama, Harman began taking piano lessons at the age of four. He also sang in his local church choir. Harmonicas owned by his father were stored in the piano bench, and James tried playing them after his piano lessons ended. In time, he learned to play several other musical instruments, including the guitar, electronic organ, and drums. In 1962, he relocated to Panama City, Florida, where he played in many rhythm and blues bands, of which the Icehouse Blues Band was the last. Earl Caldwell, the manager of the Swinging Medallions, signed Harman to a recording contract. In 1964 in Atlanta, Georgia, Harman recorded the first of nine early singles, which were variously released on five different record labels. There, his Icehouse Blues Band played alongside Big Joe Turner, John Lee Hooker, Freddie King, Muddy Waters, Albert King, B. B. King, T-Bone Walker, Lowell Fulson, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, and Albert Collins. Harman has performed at the Long Beach Blues Festival and in concerts staged around the world. on the song "Heartache In Blue". Bonetime, his first studio album in over 12 years, was released in 2015. Fineprint followed in 2018. ==Death==

Harman died of a heart attack on May 23, 2021. He had been undergoing chemotherapy during a five-month battle with stage 4 esophageal cancer. Harman's legacy was celebrated in depth on the May 31, 2021, edition of Dr Boogie's radio show, which included a rare recording of Harman's 1971 guest performance fronting Canned Heat. ==Discography==

• ''This Band Just Won't Behave'' (1981, Ice Pick [7-inch EP]) • Thank You Baby (1983, Enigma) • Those Dangerous Gentlemen (1987, Rhino) • Extra Napkins (Strictly the Blues) (1988, Rivera; reissued 1997 on Cannonball Records) • ''Strictly Live...In '85! (Vol. 1) (1990, Rivera; reissued 2005 on Pacific Blues/Gulf Coast as Strictly Live In '85 ...Plus! (Vol. 1)'') • Two Sides to Every Story (1990, Black Top) • Do Not Disturb (1991, Black Top) • Cards on the Table (1994, Black Top) • Black & White (1995, Black Top) • ''Icepick's Story'' (1996, Continental Record Services/CRS; reissued 1999 on Me & My Blues Records) note: compilation of Black Top recordings • ''Takin' Chances'' (1998, Cannonball) • ''Mo' Na' Kins, Please! (Strictly the Blues, Vol. 2)'' (1999, Cannonball) • Lonesome Moon Trance (2003, Pacific Blues) • Side Dishes (2007, Gulf Coast) note: 13-track compilation • ''James Harman's Bamboo Porch: Live at Little Village, Volume One'' (2012, Gulf Coast) • Bonetime (2015, Electro-Fi) • Fineprint (2018, Electro-Fi) • Liquor Parking (2019, BigTone) • Sparks Flying: Live in 1992 (2022, JSP) • Back Door Rumba: Live Sessions, Volume Two (2023, JSP) • ''Didn't We Have Some Fun Sometime'' (2024, Electro-Fi) ==References==