Ryan Hartt interview

01:32 - Ryan is from Connecticut in the US, where he plays regularly around southern New England, and used to play in New York more often

02:17 - Even New York’s music scene is getting smaller

02:38 - Ryan is a harmonica, player, vocalist and songwriter

02:47 - The Blues Brothers album ‘A Briefcase Full of Blues’ was an inspiration to get Ryan started on playing the harmonica

03:30 - Bought first harmonica age 12 or 13

03:35 - Neil also loved the album A Briefcase Full of Blues and how Ryan likes to get to the source of the original songs

05:00 - The first harmonica Ryan played was a Mel Bay one which came with an instructional book, before he bought his first Hohner Marine Band

06:16 - Bought any harmonica albums he could find in the store

06:58 - Also played clarinet and saxophone at school, but those instruments didn’t play much of a part in learning the harmonica

08:20 - Learnt the harmonica by ear and also buying some of the tutorial books around at that time, including the Jon Gindick one

09:00 - Didn’t rate the Tony Glover ‘Blues Harp’ book as he says it was full of mistakes

09:24 - The school bands in the US are a good breeding ground for musicians there

09:53 - In the 1930s a lot of US schools had Harmonica bands

10:11 - Played in front of people aged 13 or 14 where the bug bit Ryan for performing live

11:05 - Joined first proper band age 16 and joined first blues band age 19 where he played in clubs underage

12:12 - Ryan’s day job is a history teacher, but he tries to keep his harmonica life separate from that

13:18 - Did a degree in Music and Sound Recording and doubled with Music Business

14:36 - Has been able to put some of learnings from the Music Business qualification, although things have changed a lot since he did that course

15:38 - Moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s attracted by the blues scene there, and saw how the music industry was decimated by job losses there

16:37 - Sat in with Rod Piazza a few times when out west

17:53 - Other musicians Ryan saw in Los Angeles included Rick Holmstrom and Junior Watson

18:15 - Learnt from observing the harp players on the west coast, rather than taking lessons or direct advice

18:34 - Ryan plays a lot of great blues chromatic in his recordings, starting playing the chromatic in his teens before he moved to the west coast

20:29 - Mainly plays blues chromatic, appreciating the ability to learn one pattern and switch chromatics to play in different keys

21:05 - Occasionally plays styles on chromatic and loves Stevie Wonder and Toots Thielemans

21:21 - Moved back to the East coast in the year 2000, forming his long term band Ryan Hartt and The Blue Hearts

23:10 - Ryan Hartt and The Blue Hearts has been one of the top blues bands in the New England area for much of that time

23:27 - The band mainly plays blues but also some soul, rock, ska and even proto-rock

24:00 - Ryan is the primary singer in the band

24:39 - Has always sung because the harmonica players he listened too were also singers, with Little Walter’s My Babe the first song Ryan sang

25:54 - Became a songwriter because wanted to say something original and not just replay the old songs

27:29 - Recorded four demo tracks in 1998, in Los Angeles at the same studio as used by William Clarke

29:03 - Released three albums with The Blue Hearts on his own ‘Far-Tone’ label

29:42 - Empty Wallet was the first album released with The Blue Hearts in 2003

30:59 - Second album with The Blues Hearts was Yeah Man in 2005, making the top eight of the Blues Foundation’s ‘Best Self-produced CD Contest’ and latest album also currently in a competition

31:35 - The Sonny Boy Nighthawk song was played on a Steve Baker Special harmonica

32:20 - Junior Watson played on four tracks on the Yeah Man album

32:27 - Rick Holmstrom produced the first two Blues Hearts albums

33:18 - Call My Name was the third Ryan Hartt and The Blues Hearts album released in 2012

35:00 - Released first solo album in 2025, Be About It!, which Ryan produced between himself and the bass player

36:19 - Be About It! has plenty of harmonica on it

37:06 - Nothing Sweet As You is a melodic song played in first position on a chromatic, although Ryan initially thought he was playing it in third position

38:39 - All Night Long is a jump saxophone inspired song which includes an overdub so can hear two harmonicas

40:00 - Breaking Even is Ryan’s favourite song for the lyrics he wrote on the Be About It! album

41:01 - That’s Right You’re Wrong has another overdub, with the same riff played in second position and then in first position

42:32 - Does play some overblows sometimes, but not used much

43:42 - You Belong To Me and the Hawaiian War Chant are two jazz songs played on diatonic, inspired by other harmonica players doing the same, such as Gary Primach and Jerry Portnoy

46:25 - The Be About It! Album was released in October 2025 and Ryan has been busy promoting the album and hopes to go over to Europe to play

47:41 - Ten minute question

49:07 - Harmonicas of choice are Hohner Special 20, Suzuki Manji, Suzuki chromatics in different keys and a 16 hole

50:05 - Mainly plays third position on chromatic, but also some first position

50:36 - Does some basic set-up himself but doesn’t use custom harps

51:28 - Uses some of the Lee Oskar natural minor tuned diatonics, including on the song ska-influenced song Kaboom

52:22 - Likes to use some fifth position

53:13 - Embouchre: mostly tongue blocking, but mainly bends using puckering

54:08 - Mics: currently uses a JT30 shell with a CR / CM element from a Green Bullet, also owned an ElectroVoice PE mic as played by Charlie Musselwhite, and played JT39 crystal mics

54:58 - Amps uses a Fender Tweed Deluxe copy for smaller amp and Sonny Junior for larger amp

55:54 - Uses a Boss DD3 delay pedal and a Lone Wolf Delay pedal

57:03 - Future plans are mainly around promoting the new album, including some gigs lined-up in the Connecticut area