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

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

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 based in New York City.

Biography

Riddles played as an accompanist 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, shouting vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of s ...

Bill Dicey William J. Dicey (May 25, 1936 – March 17, 1993) was an American blues harmonicist, singer and songwriter. He recorded two live albums and one studio album in his own name, as well as playing the harmonica and singing on a number of other music ...

. He appears on several albums with Johnson, and released a solo album on Spivey Records entitled ''The Artistry of Nat Riddles''. Riddles also gave lessons to fellow New York harmonica player Adam Gussow of

Satan and Adam Satan and Adam was an American blues duo consisting of Sterling Magee, known by his stage name "Mister Satan" (May 20, 1936 – 6 September 2020, in Gulfport, Florida), and Adam Gussow (born April 3, 1958 in New York City, New York), who were ...

. Riddles died on August 11, 1991 in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, aged 39. In 2007, the Modern Blues Harmonica label 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 discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riddles, Nat 1952 births 1991 deaths American blues harmonica players 20th-century American musicians