Nathan Riddles (February 4, 1952 – August 11, 1991} was an American blues

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 in ...

player who played an important role in the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

blues scene during the late 1970s to mid-1980s. Born in Bronxville, a

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

suburb of

, he was educated at Brooklyn College and the

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was founded in 1887 ...

. In the early 1980s, he became known in New York blues circles for his street performances with the

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 themselve ...

Charlie Hilbert, as part of a free-form duo that he labeled 'El Cafe Street.' Riddles performed with Larry Johnson,

Screamin' Jay Hawkins Jalacy J. "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins (July 18, 1929 – February 12, 2000) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, film producer, and boxer. Famed chiefly for his powerful, operatic vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of ...

, Bill Dicey, and

Odetta Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, lyricist, and a civil rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire co ...

as well as Hilbert. He recorded several

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s with Johnson (one

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by Len Kunstadt for

Spivey Records Spivey Records was a specialist blues record label founded by blues singer Victoria Spivey and jazz historian Len Kunstadt in 1961. Spivey Records released a series of blues and jazz albums between 1961 and 1985. History of Spivey Records The l ...

, one produced by Horst Lippmann) and a solo album on Spivey entitled ''The Artistry of Nat Riddles.'' He also contributed several cuts to a Spivey series of LPs entitled ''New York Really has The Blues.'' Riddles also gave some lessons to

Adam Gussow Adam Gussow (born April 3, 1958) is an American scholar, memoirist, and blues harmonica player. He is currently a professor of English and Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Life and career Gussow spent twelve years (1 ...

. There are images of Nat Riddles in the archives of photographer, Marilyn Nance. Riddles died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

in August 1991 in

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Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

at the age of 39. In 2007, the Modern Blues Harmonica

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issued a compilation album of Riddles, entitled ''El Cafe Street Live!''

References

Bibliography

* Gussow, Adam - ''Mister Satan's Apprentice: A Blues Memoir'' (Pantheon Books, 1998).

External links

Nat Riddles discographyNat Riddles and Charlie Hilbert: El Cafe Street Live!
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riddles, Nat 1952 births 1991 deaths People from Bronxville, New York American blues harmonica players Deaths from leukemia 20th-century American musicians Brooklyn College alumni