John
Musselwhite, RPT
(Registered Piano Technician)
Hello from Calgary, Alberta CANADA!
Welcome to my personal WWW space! I am a third-generation piano tuner and technician, a guitar/bass player, singer/songwriter and occasional TV/radio/documentary announcer born and raised here in Calgary. Here you can find some of the WWW pages about my favourite blues musician and one of my hobbies, campanology, that I maintain, but this is my personal page. Please visit the Musselwhite Enterprises home page for information on my business services and Musselwhite genealogy.
My interests also include every kind of music as long as it's "good", genealogy, books in general, the Dead Sea Scrolls and related studies, Canadian coin collecting, educational television and the natural sciences, specifically biology, geology and evolution. I was a "Fidonet" system operator from 1989 to 1996, running the recently-demised "The Keyboard BBS" at 1:134/67, and have been interested in computers since 1978. Any free time I have left after my other interests is usually taken up as a full-time senior associate volunteer for the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede on the Band Management Committee.
In the summer of 1998 I began I playing bass and acoustic guitar and doing some singing in Fat Bottom, playing odd gigs in local pubs. Our first album "Strait-Jacket Boogie" is in some local Calgary stores and now on the net at CDBaby.com. The band was together for six years, playing blues and old rock&roll and it was a lot of fun! In the "Real Audio" section below you can hear some of my favourite tunes played both solo and with the band.
Among the musical
instruments in my home, some of which are on semi-permanent
loan are; five
acoustic guitars (two used below) including a Larrivee Parlour
guitar, a black Takamine EF-39 acoustic-electric; a Takamine Jasmine
acoustic Bass Guitar; a Cort headless bass with Steinberger
tuners; a "Precision-style" electric bass assembled by Miles Jones of Fretworks I use
for recording; a Hohner Chromatica 64 harmonica given to me by Charlie Musselwhite, a George Jungawara didjeridu
from Alice Springs that was a gift from my old friend Guy; assorted non-playable brass instruments
including a trombone from a "Sally Ann" band; some
bells and rhythm instruments of various sizes and shapes; a
number of flutes and whistles; a clavichord assembled by Johann
Secker in 1982, a Yamaha CP-70B electric grand and a Cameo 64-note "chapel" piano. On most of them I can at least make not too
horrible a noise,
If
you would like to hear me sing and play my guitar, here is a Real Audio (3.0) file of me
playing a verse of Arlo Guthrie's "Ring Around
The Rosie Rag" * in my basement
one day... The guitar is a 1970 Yamaha FG-45 3/4 size steel
string that I call my "sport guitar".
Here is an "impromtu" version of that old Henry Thomas standard, "Fishin' Blues" recorded live.
* This guitar is the 1984 Takamine EF-39.
In this version of the traditional "Hesitation
Blues"* I'm playing
the above Yamaha (a solid top with laminated jaquaranda sides and
back) as well as the Fender Bass.
The following tunes require Real Media Player G2 which is available free if you don't have it.
Here's a song I wrote and recorded with Fat Bottom called "Dial Tone". *
I'm singing and playing the Cort headless bass, recorded at Sundae Sound.
This one was written by David Bromberg from Chicago and
it's called "You've Got To Suffer If
You Want To Sing The Blues". * In this live recording
my bandmate Big Jon Silver is playing bass and I'm on
acoustic guitar and vocals.
Sitting in with the band in our rehearsal studio is Smokin' Joe Martin on
Harmonica playing "Boom Boom (Out Go
the Lights)".
Links to some of my favourite sites:
Musselwhite.com Musselwhite Piano Services, Musselwhite Enterprises and a home for Musselwhites on the Internet.
Change Ringing in Calgary Calgary is the only city on the prairies which has bells hung for the ancient English art of change-ringing. You can find out about our tower (Christ Church, Elbow Park), the bells and bell ringing itself here.
The Unofficial Charlie Musselwhite Home Page Charlie Musselwhite is a consumate blues harmonica player who became a fixture in the blues clubs of Chicago and San Francisco in the sixties. I've taken down the main page, but left the Discography up
The OFFICIAL Charlie Musselwhite Home Page Charlie now has his own domain and his own home page! Visit it by following this link. Find out where Charlie is playing now or order some CM memorabilia!
Fat Bottom is a local blues/rock band that can be heard in clubs around Calgary. I play bass and acoustic guitar in it. CDs are coming soon!
Pianos by Rösch Home Page Josef Rösch is a piano re-manufacturer/rebuilder in Calgary. Swiss Craftsmanship can bring your fine old instrument back to its former glory at his atlier.
The Canadian Piano Page Practically everything you ever wanted to know about the piano industry in Canada including links to Registered Piano Technicians, piano and music stores, piano movers and piano-related items.
The PTG Calgary Piano Guide The local Piano Technicians Guild page containing great information for current and futute piano owners.
The Piano Technicians Guild Information on pianos, piano care, manufacturers, players and practically everything related to the piano.
Live view of my home town of Calgary Here is a live shot courtesy of Calgary 7 Television (CICT-TV) (where I was the producer and newscaster of the 11:30 "Action News" when the station was known as CFAC-TV and at 955 Rideau Road SW back in 1979) from the top of the Petro Canada Tower. There is a link to some great pictures of Calgary on this page as well as our current weather conditions and of course, a link to Calgary 7's home page.
QR-77 Talk Radio I rarely listen to music when I'm driving, but I do enjoy local talk radio. QR-77 is my favourite station. You will find an Internet Radio link to hear whats going on in Calgary right now as well as read about their programs and staff.
Rideau Music Sheet Music and music information on the net.
The Swing Geezer's Home Page The Swing Geezers are a local trio featuring one of my oldest friends on bass.
Fretworks Miles Jones' guitar repair shop and school in Calgary. If you really care about your guitar, bring it to Miles!
You are visitor number to this page since November 10, 1997.
This page was last modified on August 20, 2000
(* "Ring Around The Rosie Rag" music & lyrics by Arlo Guthrie copyright ©1967, 1968, 1969 by Appleseed Music Inc.) "Fishin' Blues" by Henry Thomas. "Dial Tone" words and music by John Musselwhite copyright ©John Musselwhite 1998. "Suffer To Sing The Blues" copyright ©Sweet Jellyroll Music 1971. All audio files on this site are Copyright ©John Musselwhite 1997, 1998
(http://www.cadvision.com/musselj/index.html copyright © John Musselwhite 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004)
