Jim McLaughlin has friends. Lots of friends.
The extraordinary harmonica man needs a liver transplant, and those friends of his are putting on a benefit concert Sunday evening at the Historic Everett Theatre.
McLaughlin, who graduated from Everett High School in 1970, has played harmonica for nearly 45 years. In that time he has performed with the likes of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, War, James Cotton, Bill Monroe, Vassar Clements, Townes Van Zandt and Charlie Musselwhite.
The people coming to play the benefit concert include Lee Oskar (Low Rider) &Friends, Jimmie Fadden (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Dave Mathis (Terry Robb Band), Mark DuFresne (Room Full of Blues), Bobby Holland &the Breadline, and Kevin Sutton &Blue Monday.
The concert, titled For the Love of Jimmy, is a Musicians Relief Fund event sponsored by Lee Oskar Harmonicas and the Washington Blues Society.
Rick Bowen, vice president of the society, calls McLaughlin a “legend.”
This past year the society presented McLaughlin with its Lifetime Achievement Award, and previously the society named him its Harmonica Player of the Year. He also is a member of the Washington Blues Society’s Hall of Fame.
McLaughlin is a two-time International Harmonica Champion, having competed and performed around the world, Bowen said.
After high school, McLaughlin did a tour of duty in Vietnam. When he returned, the story goes, he bought a harmonica, stuck it in his pocket and never took it out except to play. He traveled the country, sometimes hopping freight trains to get around. It wasn’t until 1975 — after asking some musicians at the Apple Blossom Festival in Wenatchee if he could jam with them — that he discovered he loved to play the blues.
McLaughlin lives on Ebey Island where he has hosted the annual Ebey Island Freedom Festival, known especially for the “Harmonica Hell” jam.
World-renowned harmonica virtuoso and harmonica maker Lee Oskar, also of Everett, is presenting the show.
“Jim McLaughlin is a one-of-a-kind treasure of a man who has given so much to so many,” Oskar said in an email to The Herald. “And now, it’s our time to come together to help him in his time of need. We hope people will join us for an extraordinary evening of music in his honor.”
More about the Musicians Relief Fund — which provides financial assistance to all types of musicians who are struggling with their finances while facing illness, disability or age-related problems — can be found at www.wablues.org.
If you go
For the Love of Jimmy — a Musicians Relief Fund all-star benefit for Jim McLaughlin presented by the Washington Blues Society and Lee Oskar Harmonicas — starts at 5 p.m. March 19 at the Historic Everett Theatre, 2911 Colby Ave., Everett. The event also includes live and silent auctions. Tickets are $35 each, or $50 for VIP ticket, which includes a meet-and-greet session with the performers. For more information, go to historiceveretttheatre.org or call 425-268-6766.
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