HENRY CHUNG
The blues first called me when I was 15, listening to Eric Clapton's "Unplugged" in my Mount Hermon, MA, dorm room. The album urged me to obtain other monumental blues records by Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf & B.B. King. I first picked up the harmonica when I first heard William Tang's "Movin' On" in 1998, but gave up only after a few days.
In October 2001, the blues called me again by way of a homeless guy called Tim. After a few months of closet practicing, I decided to hit the open mic at New Vegas Lounge in downtown DC. However, the constant discouragement of the owners and guitarist Bobby Hall made me give up again. Fortunately, the drummer of the jam session, Lee Hailey, heard something special in my playing ("You know what you're doing, son.") and introduced me to the legendary Jesse James Johnson , Bo Diddley's long-time bass player from 1960 to 1964 (With sad news, Jesse passed away on March 25, 2007).
From January 2002 to March 2003, I went from sitting in with Jesse James & The Raiders to becoming a regular member of the band at the once (and again) defunct Cafe Toulouse in Adams Morgan, DC. The band featured Jesse on vocals & guitar, Dru Lore on rhythm guitar, Turner on bass, and Lee Hailey on drums. In October 2002, the Raiders had a welcoming addition: Jeff Conlin joined us on keyboards and added a funky sound to the already soulful group. During this golden age, Jesse often introduced me as "his main man" and said, "Brother Henry is one of the finest harmonica players I've ever heard."