Archive for the ‘Mickey Raphael’ Category

Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, Mickey Raphael

Sunday, June 9th, 2013

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Thanks to Brenda Price, for sharing photos from the Willie Nelson & Family Show at the Surf in Montauck, NY.

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Saturday Night at the Movies: Willie Nelson, “Honey Suckle Rose”

Saturday, May 25th, 2013

Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Mickey Raphael, Farm Aid 1997, “Long May You Run”

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

www.FarmAid.org

Willie Nelson’s Harmonica Player, Mickey Raphael

Tuesday, May 7th, 2013

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photo: Mary Francis Andrews, Jazz Fest 2011

“Willie is just very personable, and he just loves his fans and he loves to play music…that’s the deal.”

www.wmuk.org
by: Lorraine Caron

Willie Nelson and Family are in concert May 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the State Theater in Kalamazoo. Even if the name Mickey Raphael isn’t familiar to you, you have most likely heard his music. Raphael is the harmonica player in country music legend Willie Nelson’s band.

Nelson just celebrated his 80th birthday. When they first met up and Nelson invited him to join the band decades ago, Raphael was just 20 years old.

“When I went to work for him he was 39 years old and I tell people when I met him he was an old 39 and now I think he’s a young 80,” Raphael says. “His guitar playing is getting better, he’s so prolific on the guitar and I really think it’s just getting better.”

OK, so Willie Nelson keeps getting better as a musician, but what is he like to have as a boss?

“He’s a benevolent dictator,” Raphael says. “That’s the way I look at it. And he gives you enough rope to hang yourself. I mean, there’s been very little turnover in the band, except for people retiring or passing. And he’s great to work with and he gives you enough space to do what you do. He assumes that we will police ourselves.” 

Raphael started playing harmonica as a teenager, after hearing a live performance from Donnie Brook, who went on to play with folk musician Judy Collins and country music’s Waylon Jennings. He says playing harmonica suits him for several reasons.

“First off, the sound of it and the fact that you control it with your breath,” he says. “It really becomes a part of you, because it is so personal. You can’t look down at the thing and see where you are, like with the guitar, you can look down at your fingers and look at the strings. With the harmonica it’s all happening in your head and your ear. It’s very cerebral and it takes a lot of training your ear.”

Raphael says his music career is still a work in progress and he’s always learning something new. Willie Nelson hasn’t slowed down a bit. He released a recording last year and another new one last month. Raphael says Nelson’s fans seem to grow more devoted all the time.

“Well, I think music is the common denominator and everybody loves music,” he says. “And, even if you don’t particularly like his song or the way he sings, I mean there’s a message there that everyone can relate to.”

Raphael says Nelson almost always stays after a show to sign autographs for fans.

“Willie is just very personable, and he just loves his fans and he loves to play music…that’s the deal.”

Happy Birthday, Willie Nelson, from Mickey Raphael

Thursday, May 2nd, 2013

One day, two days, one month — not nearly enough time to celebrate Willie Nelson’s birthday, and to post all the good wishes sent his way.

Here’s Mickey Raphael sending happy birthday wishes to his boss.

I am going to celebrate all year, so stay tuned.

Mickey Raphael and Brad Wheeler

Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

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Brad Wheeler sat in on harmonica, with Mickey Raphael, at Willie Nelson & Family Show at the Backyard (4/28/13), and they kindly posed for a photo after the show, with me.

Happy Birthday, Willie Nelson, from Mickey Raphael

Friday, April 5th, 2013

Willie Nelson and Mickey Raphael, in “Honeysuckle Rose”

Thursday, April 4th, 2013

www.MickeyRaphael.com

Mickey Raphael Guest on SiriusXM Radio, with Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale

Saturday, March 23rd, 2013

@[86000116180:274:Buddy Miller] & @[32284955330:274:Jim Lauderdale] feature harmonica stars on this week's episode of "The Buddy & Jim Show" with guest longtime @[12597103452:274:Willie Nelson] sideman @[287432804630143:274:Mickey Raphael] and tunes from @[198537163500697:274:Harmonica Frank Floyd], @[113295512017879:274:Little Walter], @[112209322124517:274:DeFord Bailey], @[108120415876568:274:Sonny Terry] and more, airing SAT 10 pm ET, SUN 10 am ET and available On Demand.

www.SiriusXM.com

Mickey Raphael will be a guest on the Buddy & Jim Show, on Sirius/XM Radio.  Hosts Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale invited Mickey on the show, and they will also honor other harmonica greats and play tunes from Frank Floyd, Little Walter, DeFord Bailey, Sonny Terry and more.

The show will air today (Sat) at 10 pm Eastern Time, and tomorrow at 10 a.m., Eastern Time, and will be made available on SiriusXM’s On Demand features.
A great time to sign up for satellite radio!  Visit www.Sirius.com, for info on signing up; sometimes they offer free trials that are worth checking out.

Mickey Raphael helps raise funds for public radio

Thursday, March 21st, 2013

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Mickey Raphael helped raise funds for KRCL 90.9 Public Radio in Utah yesterday, and performed live on the air.    Listeners who made a pledge during the station’s fund raising drive got a chance to win tickets and air fare to see Willie Nelson & Family at the BackYard on April 28th, 2013.

 

Willie Nelson and Family, Parker, AZ (3/2/13)

Wednesday, March 6th, 2013

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More great photos from Lane and Katrina, sent from the Parker, AZ show.

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Bobby English is escorted off stage after the show, by Paul English.parkeraz12parkeraz16

Willie Nelson and Family, Luck, Texas

Thursday, December 6th, 2012

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Thanks to Paula Nelson, who took this cool picture at Willie Nelson’s Luck, Texas.

Mickey Raphael and Steinar Raknes

Saturday, November 24th, 2012

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Thanks to Brenda for sharing this picture of Mickey Raphael recording with Steinar Raknes at Ray Kennedy’s studio in Nashville.

“Steinar Raknes and Mickey were amazing together.”

Here’s Mickey performing with Raknes last year. (Thank you, Monique, for the link!)

Happy birthday, Mickey Raphael

Wednesday, November 7th, 2012

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B_DAY_STEPHEN__JONI_ME by you.

Mickey Raphael, Joni Mitchell and the late Stephen Bruton shared a birthday — November 7th.  This is a picture taken in 1992 at their birthday dinner, in Los Angeles.

Job Satisfaction

Saturday, October 13th, 2012

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photo: Mary Francis Andrews

Mickey Raphael, on stage at Farm Aid 2012, Hershey, PA (9/22/2012)