1975  Red White and Blue

Red White and Blue
 

After a time of reflection, the band Red, White and Blue is formed, initiated by Willem van Kooten (a.k.a. Joost den Draayer), after current English super bands such as Blind Faith and Humble Pie. The band consists of Harry and Eelco, completed by Frank Nuyens (guitar, ex-Q65), Lou Leeuw (bass, ex-The Rocking Tigers) and Herman van Boeyen (drums, ex-Tee Set and Supersister). Supervised by producer George Kooymans (Golden Earring) they record the self-titled album Red, White and Blue, with guest musician Robert Jan Stips. When van Boeyen leaves the band, Mels Bol (ex-Fontessa) replaces him. Despite successful performances at the Popmeeting Lochem and Pinkpop festival, the band is not very popular. The music of Red, White and Blue is more melodic than the Cuby fans are used to and they get confused. So, within one year, the band name is changed back to Cuby & The Blizzards.

1976

Lost son Herman Brood returns and the album Kid Blue is recorded, with Maggie McNeal and Margriet Eshuys as background singers and Neppy Noya on the congas. Herman Brood designs the album cover. Without warning, Eelco Gelling leaves the band to join The Golden Earring, which is hard to swallow for Muskee. Disillusioned, Muskee stays behind in Drenthe, after Herman Brood goes solo as well.

 Harry Muskee (with guitar) and Eelco Gelling in concert on 30th of april 1976 in the Meenthe in Steenwijk. (foto's Hilco Arendshorst)

foto's Wim Berends

1977

With bass player Lou de Leeuw, who remained loyal to Harry, Muskee founds a new band with some local musicians: Martin van Dijk (piano, keyboards), Jan Groenink (drums) and Bernhard Riemke (guitar), all ex-Capital C. For legal reasons they call themselves the Harry Muskee band. Supervised by Loek Willemze of Negram (singer of Roek Williams and the Fighting Cats) they record the album Love Vendetta, which is more rock oriented than blues. One of the more striking songs is ‘Victor’, about the Lockheed scandal.

Martin van Dijk	Jan Groenink	Berhard Riemke

Harry Muskee	Lou Leeuw

• 1977 Love vendetta

De Harry Muskee Band werd geen succes. Na een jaar gaf Harry er de brui aan

1978-1990

The Harry Muskee band is not very successful, but Muskee doesn’t give up. After having lived of social services for two years, he performs again in Assen with Eelco Gelling (who has left the Golden Earring), drummer Hans Lafaille, bass player Cees van der Laarse and a horn section. The show is a big success. This band eventually becomes The Muskee Gang, but Eelco Gelling prefers The Freelance band. Paul Smeenk and Herman Deinum (Sweet d’Buster) are hired. Unfortunately, Scottish trumpet player Jeff Reynolds (Georgie Fame, Johnny Halliday) is killed in an accident. Steve Francovics from San Francisco turns out to be a rather unfortunate choice, but Peter Kuyt (Massada) is perfect.

De bezetting van de "Muskee Gang" 
Harry Muskee (zang),
Hans Lafaille (drums),
Peter Kuyt (trompet),
Paul Smeenk (gitaar),
Herman Deinum (bas),
Ruud van Dijk (tenorsax)

The album The Legend is recorded. Dutch poet Jules Deelder writes the lyrics for two songs. Shortly, Paul Smeenk leaves the band, and at Harry’s request, Eelco Gelling joins again, leading to enormous tension. Herman Deinum quits and is replaced by ‘good old’ Lou Leeuw. When Rudy van Dijk, Peter Kuyt and Hans Lafaille quit as well, it is the end of The Muskee Gang. However, the band still has a contract for a number of performances. They hire various musicians, and the band soon features Harry Muskee (vocals, harmonica), Eelco Gelling (solo guitar), Melle Jan Kleisma (rhythm guitar), the French David Gardeur (piano), Gino Jansen (bass) and Gert-Jan de Valk (rhythm guitar). The latter is soon replaced by Hannes Langkamp, like Gino ex-Fox the Fox.

While recording the album Rimshots in the Dark, Muskee and Gelling break up for good, caused by Gelling’s drug use during the recording. It breaks Harry’s heart but he has to make a firm decision. This marks the end of a long cooperation with Eelco Gelling. Erwin Java, who previously played in Hanneke Kappen’s White Honey and Herman Brood’s Wild Romance, replaces him.

1990

Finally Harry Muskee gets some peace of mind. His new band Muskee features Erwin Java, Gino Jansen, Hannes Langkamp and Roy Kushel, the latter replacing David Gardeur. Muskee celebrates his 25^th anniversary as a professional musician with a concert at MCV in Utrecht. Former band members like Herman Brood join the show. The album Muskee Live is recorded a year later during gigs at MCV and Ahoy, with guest musicians Bertus Borgers and John Lagrand.

1991

The album Cut The Luxe is released, recorded at Jannes Meijer’s studio in Roderwolde. It is a sober production with singles ‘Tough On Me’ (1990) and ‘Brother Booze’ (1991).

 

Roy Kushel, Erwin Java,  Hannes Langkamp, Gino Jansen, Harry Muskee,  John Lagrand,	Roy Kushel, Gino Jansen,  Hannes Langkamp	Erwin Java, Hannes Langkamp,  Roy Kushel, Gino Jansen,  John Lagrand,Harry Muskee
Erwin Java en Gino Jansen	Erwin Java, Hans La Faille,  Harry Muskee, Herman Deinum,  Arend Huisman, Peter van Soest, John Lagrand	Herman Deinum, Arend Huisman  Martin Stienstra, Peter van Soest
	foto's Johan Gaasbeek, Jeanne Visser

1992

The band Muskee travels to Katowice, Poland for a performance at the famous Rawa Blues Festival, accompanied by the Dutch D’Boom Harper Band and the American Lamar Chase Band, singer Wendy Sheridan and Elmo Patterson. That same year, Harry Muskee receives the Cultural Award of Drenthe, presented to him by governor Wim Meijer.

Brother Booze

 The latest hit of Muskee is "Brother Booze" and you can find it on the CD's "Cut the Lux", "Muskee live" the recently appeared album "Travelling with the Blues".

Brother Booze
lyrics and chords of Brother Booze.

Window of my Eyes

In the history of Muskee this song is probably the most beautifull and well known song. On the lp "Trippin' thru a midnight blue" is the original and on the cd "Muskee Live" you can hear a magnificant studio version. Here is a fragment of the original version of:

Window of my Eyes
lyrics and chords of Window of my Eyes.

1993-1996    Muskee in America

The first trip to the US in 1993, in search of the roots of blues for radio Drenthe and the VPRO, provides inspiration and material for the album Sky Songs On the Spot , released in 1994. John Lagrand, one of the founders of Livin’ Blues and a talented harmonica player, joins the band.

On invitation of Radio Drenthe Harry Muskee travelled in 1993 a few weeks around in the south of America, mainly Mississippi, Louisiana en Texas, in search of the roots of the blues.
There he saw a.o. the neglected grave of Sonny Boy Williamson, where all sorts of people laid their mouth-organ as a tribute and the remnants of the house of Muddy Waters (68 died on the 30th of april 1983). The song "Faceless Voices" from the album "Dancing Bear" tells about this search.

  two fragments from a broadcast, Harry Muskee and Albert Haar are discovering the grave of Sonnyboy  Williamson ontdekken. (MP3/wavfile ± 220 kb en 69 kb (see info)
an old sister of these famous mouthorganplayer is talking about Sonnyboy (MP3/wavfile ± 182 kb (see info)
Sonny Boy Williamson: the sky is crying (MP3/wavfile ± 134 kb (see info)


Blues is mainly played by black artists, but did not find much response among the black youth. Muskee discovered, that in Europe there is more appreciation for the blues than in America. The founders of the blues are forgotten by their own surroundings, while the jazz obviously has been seen as a culture and because of that gets more attention. Muskee calls Drenthe "The Mississippi of Holland". You can draw some parallels between the earlier plantations in Mississippi and the old peat areas in Drenthe. The workers in Drenthe toiled for the rich farmers and large landowners and lived in  sod huts, comparable with for example the wooden "cabins" of the negros, who worked on the plantations.
 

The Little Blond Death

In occasion of the screen version of the book "The The Little Blond Death" of Boudewijn Büch" in 1993, Harry with the band Muskee did splended work by making a part of the filmmusic. A magnificent voicing (rendering interpretation) of Window of my Eyes became the result. There are also parts to see and hear from the C+B songs Appleknockers Flophouse, Somebody will know someday and  Too blind to see.

On november 26th 2002 Boudewijn Büch suddenly died at a heartattack. He was only 53 years old  

Radio Drenthe

Radio Drenthe features each Sunday  from 13.00-14.00 and each Thursday 22.00-23.00 an hour's broadcast of the programm "Harry's Blues" presented by Harry Muskee and Albert Haar, with blues- and  rootsmusic.  Radio Drenthe can be received on 90.8 FM and besides on cable in the North and East Netherland and on the  Astra 23.5 Oost satellite. This is the ASTRA 1D (transponder 208, 11.91450 MHz, Horizontal, 27.5> Msymb/s)  channel 236. Blueslovers from all over the world can also listen to the broadcast through the Internet. Click on the logo to go to RTV Drenthe. 

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