His name is Roy Reick. His first name is actually pronounced “ro-ei” . He traveled from Israel to tour the Home of the Blues…and to learn how to play a bit of blues harp. We’ve worked out a contract for me to manage him. I told him I don’t have high expectations, but we’ve agreed I get 40% of his losses.

What follows, in his own words, is his story:

I’m 23 years old, from Tel Aviv. A year back from now, I finished a service 4 and a half years as an officer in the Army. During the last year of the Army, I picked up harmonica playing with no real clue what it means (I played guitar since I’m 17). Since I was a child, I was drawn into music and literature, but it has always been a hobby to me that almost vanished once I reached the hectic life in the Army. But, it (the Army) gave me a lot of dead hours to mess with the harmonica with only one goal in mind - to learn how to play songs of Neil Young. After a while, I got there, and started exploring the harmonica.

…I became drawn to the harp world and, once I finished my debt to the Army, I promised myself that now I would do things I always wanted to do. I started writing a book I was thinking about for years. I went to Italy and worked there for a couple of months in a vineyard. I then toured Europe a bit, got back to Israel and worked as a carpenter, and between it all, kept playing harmonica and finding out about the blues. I fell in love with the blues. All I wanted was to play like that. But, I was light years behind. Then, an idea came to mind - to go to the birthplace of the blues.

I got to Clarksdale two months ago with no clue on what I should do. Luckily, I met Bill through the Delta Blues Museum where he teaches blues classes. He told me to bring the harps to a gig he had that day. Since then, I’m with the band, playing everywhere in the Mississippi and it’s been a wonderful and crazy ride.

ROY

Photo: Israeli Blues - Indianola, MS - June of 2007

Eddie Cusic was born on January 4, 1926 in the Wilmot community south of Leland, Mississippi. He grew up farming with his family and was first inspired to play the blues from hearing men play at suppers and other get-togethers in his community. Like many Delta musicians of his generation, his first attempts to play were done on a diddly-bow - a one string instrument consisting of bailing wire attached to a wall and played with a knife or bottle neck. He eventually moved up to a Sears Roebuck guitar and began playing with other local musicians.

Today, Eddie is a crowd favorite all over the United States at festivals and colleges. Blues tour groups from all over the world come to see Eddie and his hometown and get a taste of what Delta life is all about.

Photo: Eddie Q - Leland, MS - June of 2007