Gary Primich (April 20, 1958 – September 23, 2007)
was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
harmonica
The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...
player,
singer
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
,
guitarist
A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...
and
songwriter
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...
. He is best known for his 1995 album, ''Mr. Freeze''.
Biography
Gary Alan Primich was born in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, but grew up in nearby
Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, where he attended
Hobart High School
Hobart High School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, situated in the village of Loddon, near Norwich in Norfolk, England. It typically has around 850 pupils.
The school previously had specialist science college status ...
. In 1984, after he graduated with a
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
from
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
, Primich relocated to
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.
While working at the
University of Texas
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
, he started playing along with other musicians in local
clubs
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises
...
. In 1987, he met
Jimmy Carl Black
James Carl Inkanish, Jr. (February 1, 1938 – November 1, 2008), known professionally as Jimmy Carl Black, was a drummer and vocalist for The Mothers of Invention.
Background and early career: 1960s–1990s
Born in El Paso, Texas, Black was o ...
, and they formed the Mannish Boys. Their debut
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
, ''A L'il Dab'll Do Ya'' was issued on the Amazing Records
label
A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...
, and although Black then left the band, Primich stayed with the Mannish Boys for another album, ''Satellite Rock''. In 1991 Primich released his eponymous
solo
Solo or SOLO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Comics
* ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series
* Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics
Characters
* Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character
* Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...
debut album, and ''My Pleasure'' followed the next year. Amazing Records then folded, and Primich was contracted to the
Flying Fish Records
Flying Fish Records was a record label founded in Chicago in 1974 that specialized in folk, blues, and country music. In the 1990s the label was sold to Rounder Records.
Bruce Kaplan, the label's founder, was a native of Chicago and the son of ...
label releasing ''Travelin' Mood'' (1994) and ''Mr. Freeze'' (1995).
''Mr. Freeze'' was named as one of the twenty best blues albums of the 1990s by the Chicago
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
, ''
New City''.
Constant touring allowed Primich to expand his fan base, and by 2000, he had a
recording contract
A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...
with the Texas Music Group. He issued ''Dog House Music'' (2002) and then ''Ridin' the Darkhorse'' (2006).
Primich also recorded with
Steve James,
Omar & the Howlers
Omar And The Howlers is a Texas based electric blues and blues rock band, The original Howlers was formed in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 1973. Three years later they moved to Austin, Texas. The band has regularly toured European countries. ,
John "Juke" Logan
John "Juke" Logan (September 11, 1946 – August 30, 2013) was an American electric blues harmonica player, musician, singer, pianist and songwriter. He is best known for his harmonica playing on the theme music for television programs (''Home I ...
,
Marcia Ball
Marcia Ball (born March 20, 1949, Orange, Texas, United States) is an American blues singer and pianist raised in Vinton, Louisiana.
Ball was described in ''USA Today'' as "a sensation, saucy singer and superb pianist... where Texas stomp-rock a ...
,
Ruthie Foster
Ruthie Cecelia Foster (born February 10, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter of blues and folk music. She mixes a wide palette of American song forms, from gospel and blues to jazz, folk and soul. She has often been compared to Bonnie Raitt a ...
,
Mike Morgan and the Crawl,
Nick Curran
Nick Curran (September 30, 1977 – October 6, 2012) was an American blues/rock and roll singer and guitarist. He has been likened to T-Bone Walker, Little Richard, The Sonics, Doug Sahm, Misfits, and The Ramones .
Early life
Nick Curran w ...
,
Doyle Bramhall
Doyle Bramhall (February 17, 1949 – November 12, 2011) was an American blues singer, guitarist and drummer with deep roots in the Austin, Texas music scene.
Career
Bramhall joined The Chessmen with Jimmie Vaughan while in high school. ...
and
Jimmie Vaughan
Jimmie Vaughan (born March 20, 1951) is an American blues rock guitarist and singer based in Austin, Texas. He is the older brother of the late Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Several notable blues guitarists have had a significant ...
.
In addition to his performance albums, in 1985 Primich released an instructional double
CD, ''Blues Harmonica: The Blues And Beyond''. In June 1999, at the Montgomery Theater in
San Jose,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, Primich undertook a performance and series of workshops with
Howard Levy
Howard Levy (born July 31, 1951) is an American multi-instrumentalist. A keyboardist and virtuoso harmonica player, Levy "has been realistically presented as one of the most important and radical harmonica innovators of the twentieth century. ...
,
Magic Dick
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
, Gary Smith,
Lee Oskar
Lee Oskar (born 24 March 1948) is a Danish harmonica player, notable for his contributions to the sound of the rock-funk fusion group War, which was formed by Howard E. Scott and Harold Brown, his solo work, and as a harmonica manufacturer. H ...
,
Jerry Portnoy
Jerry Portnoy (born November 25, 1943 in Evanston, Illinois, United States) is an American harmonica blues musician, who has toured with Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton.
Biography
Portnoy grew up in Chicago. He first heard the blues played out ...
, and Andy Santana. He was inducted in the Austin Music Hall of Fame.
In September 2007, Primich died at his home in Austin, at the age of 49,
of acute heroin intoxication.
Discography
*''Gary Primich'' (1991) - Amazing
*''My Pleasure'' (1992) - Amazing
*''Hot Harp Blues'' (1993) - Amazing
*''Travelin' Mood'' (1994) -
Flying Fish
The Exocoetidae are a family of marine fish in the order Beloniformes class Actinopterygii, known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod. About 64 species are grouped in seven to nine genera. While they cannot fly in the same way a bird do ...
*''Mr. Freeze'' (1995) - Flying Fish
*''Company Man'' (1997) -
Black Top
*''Botheration'' (1999) - Black Top
*''Dog House Music'' (2002) -
Antone's
*''Ridin' the Darkhorse'' (2006) -
Electro-Fi
*''Just a Little Bit More ... with Omar Dykes'' (2012) - Old Pal Records
See also
*
List of electric blues musicians
*
List of harmonicists
This is a list of musicians that are notable for their harmonica playing skills.
Harmonica bands/groups
* Borrah Minevitch and his Harmonica Rascals
*Morton Fraser's Harmonica Gang
*The Harmonica Gentlemen
*Jerry Murad's Harmonicats
*Johnny Pule ...
References
External links
*
Biography
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...
at
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
Photographs and videos at NME.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Primich, Gary
1958 births
2007 deaths
American blues guitarists
American male guitarists
American blues singers
Songwriters from Illinois
American blues harmonica players
Harmonica blues musicians
Electric blues musicians
Singers from Chicago
Deaths by heroin overdose in the United States
People from Hobart, Indiana
20th-century American singers
Songwriters from Indiana
Guitarists from Chicago
Guitarists from Indiana
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American male singers
Flying Fish Records artists
Black Top Records artists
American male songwriters