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by Scott McDonald
For over three decades Mickey Raphael has been the harmonica player in Willie Nelson’s Family Band. If Nelson recorded an album, played a show, or made a guest appearance, it’s more than likely Raphael was there.
Nelson’s distinct voice and battered guitar have become synonymous with the braided icon’s performances, but over the years, so has the ubiquitous presence of Raphael. More than just helping to round out the band’s sound, Raphael’s harmonica playing has become a trademark of a Willie Nelson show. Yet the two men formed their relationship on a whim.
“I was just at the right place at the right time,” Raphael said recently from a tour stop in New Jersey. “I was at a party in Dallas and Willie said I should come and jam with him sometime. So I did. I wasn’t even into country music at the time. I was far more into the folk scene. But it all worked out.”
Raphael started out in music by playing the guitar. One was given to him as a gift when he was young. He was self-admittedly terrible, but stuck with it and tried to make it work. It didn’t. It wasn’t until he heard a harmonica player at a local coffeehouse that everything changed.
“I had one as a kid,” Raphael said, “but I didn’t fall in love with the harmonica until I heard a guy by the name of Don Brooks play. He was my mentor, really. He was a harmonica player in Dallas and eventually ended up playing with Waylon Jennings. And that was the first time that anyone, at least in a country band, really took a harmonica player on tour with them as a sideman. It changed things and certainly helped me start with Willie.”
It’s now been over 35 years that the two have played together. And when Nelson and his band have taken a break over the years, Raphael has kept himself busy by playing with a diverse list of some of the biggest names in music.
In addition to Nelson, Raphael has played or recorded with Sir Elton John, Emmylou Harris, Wynton Marsalis, Neil Young, Blue Oyster Cult, Indigo Girls and Bob Seger. Raphael is also responsible for the harmonica solo on the Motley Crue hit “Smoking In The Boys Room.”
Currently, he is again touring with Nelson on a summer stint that also includes legends John Mellencamp and Bob Dylan.
“This is the third summer that we’ve been out with Dylan,” Raphael said. “We didn’t have Mellencamp on the other shows, so it’s been really great this time. But I don’t think the tour has ever been as far west as California. This’ll be the first time we made it out there. And we’re playing all these ballparks, so it’s great being outdoors, breathing fresh air, and hearing all of the great music.”
So far, Nelson’s band has been taking the opening slot, Mellencamp has played in the middle and Dylan has been closing the shows. They switched it up on July 4th and Nelson and the Family Band closed the show. There has also been talk as the tour progresses that there may be some juggling of playing order. But nothing keeps Raphael guessing as much as being on stage with Nelson.
“There’s no set list,” Raphael said. “You never know what he’s going to do. I mean, we know what we’re going to start off with, but after that we don’t know what’s coming. He doesn’t even tell us on stage. He just starts the songs. These days he does focus on the hits, but the sequence always changes and we never know what he’s going to feel like playing.”
Despite the uncertainty on stage, Raphael is more than familiar with the music. After playing together so long, the band’s synergy on stage is second nature and Raphael has developed a great rapport with his band leader. He’s also logged numerous special moments —- including recording with U2 in Ireland and performing with President Carter in Georgia —- and really does appreciate his overall good fortune.
“I am aware of just how lucky I’ve been,” Raphael said. “It’s been a lot of fun and it’s been an education. Actually, it still is. I continue to learn as I go.”
Bob Dylan and His Band, John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson
The Diamond, 500 Diamond Drive, Lake Elsinore
5 p.m. Aug. 12
$67.50 (children age 14 and younger are free with paid adult)
951-245-4487
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