Rock 'n' roll autoharps, dulcimers and zithers!

Bill Wyman plays autoharp on the song Let It Bleed

 

I remember a band back in the 70s that featured a woman who played autoharp. They were called Michaelangelo and they had an FM-radio hit of sorts with the song "Son" on their album "One Voice Many." I remember really liking their sound, but I never picked up the album, unfortunately. I see there is a copy on eBay with the category label "Soft Psych." Kind of a hippie-looking album. Besides the girl there are three men with long hair, one white guy with an afro hairdo like Clapton had for awhile in Cream.

 

Wow--Michaelangelo! I've got their album. NRBQ's then-road manager Dominic Placco was somehow connected to one of the young women in that band and then-Q drummer Tom Staley and bassist Joey Spampinato played on several tracks on their lp.

My favorite rock autoharp is on the song "Lake Hope" from the psych folk and oh-so-much-more "Definition" lp by the band Chrysalis on MGM Records. They were one of Frank Zappa's favorites and Chrysalis leader Spider Barbour can be heard talking about Pigs and Ponies on "Lumpy Gravy".

 

I think I'm gonna buy the one on eBay in near mint condition. The girl Autoharp player in the band was named Angel and she apparently wrote all the music, according to the credits. So it must have been based around the autoharp sound to quite a degree, is that correct?

 

I meant Maybelle plays the autoharp on the Nitty Gritty Dirt band's WTCBU album. I wasn't referring to the original Carter Family recordings.

 

Billy Nayer Show are a very rockin' group that feature the autoharp prominently

in addition to their audio releases, the movie the american astronaut is also highly recommended

** EDIT **

their "myspace" has sample audio of course

 

Have to confess that I haven't listened to the lp in decades and can't rightly recall. My only recollection is that I thought the music was okay, but not great. How much is the copy on eBay?

 

Rory Gallagher plays a great dulcimer on the song "Philby" (Top Priority).

 

A little too much - $29. But I want it for nostalgia purposes. I used to hear a track from it on my local free-form progressive FM station in Minneapolis when I was a lad. It's not too bad a price if it is near-mint as advertised. I actually saw a copy for sale at another website for $489, or something like that. Outrageous!

 

Um, Richard Thompson.