Carlos del Junco (born May 17, 1958) is a Cuban-Canadian

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 incl ...

player.

Career

Del Junco was born in Cuba and moved to Canada with his family in 1959. He started to play harmonica when he was fourteen. He graduated from

Ontario College of Art Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD U, is a public art university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its main campus is located within Toronto's Grange Park and Entertainment District neighbourhoods ...

where he majored in sculpture. He plays a ten-hole diatonic harmonica using an "overblow" technique developed by

Howard Levy Howard Levy (born July 31, 1951) is an American musician. A keyboardist and virtuoso harmonica player, he "has been realistically presented as one of the most important and radical harmonica innovators of the twentieth century." In 1988, Le ...

of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. In the 1980s, Del Junco performed with Eyelevel, Ontario College of Art Swing Band, and for six years with the rhythm and blues group the Buzz Upshaw Band. In 1990, he formed the blues/jazz fusion band the Delcomos. He has recorded with

Marcel Aymar Marcel Aymar (born in Meteghan, Nova Scotia) is a Canadian musician, composer, writer and actor. He moved to Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, Ontario in 1972 as a teen and was a founding member of the popular Franco-Ontarian group CANO, playing guitar.Kuz ...

, Cassandra Vasik, and

Oliver Schroer Oliver Schroer (June 18, 1956 – July 3, 2008) was a Canadian fiddler, composer, and music producer. Early life Oliver Schroer grew up in Vandeleur, Ontario, a small farming community near Markdale in rural Grey County. He attended Grey High ...

. In addition to leading his band the Blue Mongrels, he has worked with Kevin Breit,

Bruce Cockburn Bruce Douglas Cockburn ( ; born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to folk- and jazz-influenced rock to soundscapes accompanying spoken stories. His lyrics reflect interests in spirit ...

Holly Cole Holly Cole (born November 25, 1963) is a Canadian jazz singer and actress. For many years she performed with her group The Holly Cole Trio. Background Cole was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her father, Leon Cole, was a note ...

, and

Kim Mitchell Joseph Kim Mitchell (born July 10, 1952) is a Canadian rock musician. He was the lead singer and guitarist for the band Max Webster before going on to a solo career. His 1984 single, " Go for Soda", was his only charted song on the US ''Billbo ...

. He wrote music for ''Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing'', a play by

Tomson Highway Tomson Highway (born 6 December 1951) is an Indigenous peoples in Canada, Indigenous Canadian playwright, novelist, children's author and musician. He is best known for his plays ''The Rez Sisters'' and ''Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing'', ...

that was produced in 1991. At the

Hohner Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is a German manufacturer of musical instruments, founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner (1833–1902). It is a subsidiary of Matth. Hohner AG. The roots of the Hohner firm are in Trossingen, Baden-Württemberg ...

World Harmonica Championship in Germany in 1999, he won two gold medals, one each in the blues and jazz categories. In November of that year he released his first album. Accompanied by guitarist

Jimmy Bowskill Jimmy Bowskill (born 16 September 1990) is a Canadian blues singer, guitarist and bassist based in Toronto, Ontario. Early life Bowskill grew up in Bailieboro, a small village near Peterborough, Ontario, where he learned to play guitar. Career ...

, he recorded the album ''Blues Etc.'' (2016) in his living room with a laptop computer.

Awards and honors

* Harmonica Player of the Year (eight times), Maple Blues Awards, Toronto Blues Society * Blues Musician of the Year, ''Jazz Report'' magazine, 1996 * Gold Medals (2), Hohner World Harmonica Championship, Germany, 1999 * Best Blues Album nomination, Juno Awards, 1999 * Best Blues Award, ''NOW'' magazine, 2007

Discography

* ''Blues'' (1993) with Bill Kinnear * ''Big Road Blues'' (1995) with Thom Roberts * ''Just Your Fool'' (1996) * ''Big Boy'' (1999) * ''Up and at 'Em'' (2001) * ''Blues Mongrel'' (2005) * ''Steady Movin' '' (2008) * ''Mongrel Mash'' (2011) * ''Blues Etc.'' (2016) with

References

Live Tour Artists website
* ''Toronto Star'', July 4, 2005 * ''Blues Review'', June/July 2005, p. 47 * ''Le Journal'', December 4, 2004 (French) * ''Seattle Times'', April 25, 2005 * ''Times Herald'', February 25, 2005 * ''Chicago Sun-Times'', April 28, 2006

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Junco, Carlos Del 1958 births Living people Musicians from Havana Canadian jazz musicians Jazz harmonica players Canadian harmonica players Cuban emigrants to Canada Canadian world music musicians Northern Blues Music artists