Iconic blues harmonica virtuoso Little Walter Jacobs died on Feb. 15, 1968, in Chicago. He was just 37 years old.

Host John Ydstie talks with harmonica player and Chicago native Jerry Portnoy. Portnoy's dad worked on Maxwell Street, where there was lots of action, including a place where blues musicians jammed.

As a young man, Jerry Portnoy certainly didn’t expect or plan to have a career as a blues harmonica player. He’d already been on a roulette wheel of life paths: failed college student, ...

The harmonica found its way into blues because it was cheap: You could buy a good one in the 1930s for a quarter. But although blues musicians discovered all kinds of tricks with the instrument, it ...

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today. Listen 8:07 The harmonica found its ...