Charlie Musselwhite, Elvin Bishop together again in Santa Rosa

Famed blues harmonica virtuoso Charlie Musselwhite, a Geyserville resident for 30 years until he moved back to his native Mississippi in 2021, has been performing all his adult life and sees no reason to stop.

“I’m 80,” said Musselwhite during a stop in Chicago, where he recently performed with his own band. “There I was, minding my own business, and I was 80.”

Musselwhite and his frequent performing and recording partner, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame blues guitarist Elvin Bishop, 81, will play together once again July 20 at Santa Rosa’s Luther Burbank Center in a concert headlined by the Taj Mahal Quintet.

“We enjoy doing it, so why quit? It’s not like we work in a factory. We have so much fun together. We tell each other stories in between tunes and crack each other up onstage,” Musselwhite said.

“We know this music so well that it feels like falling off a log,” he added. “I can hear Elvin play two notes and he can’t shake me. I can follow him.”

Both musicians tour with their own bands, in addition to teaming up for duo shows.

“I’m doing both, and Elvin does the same thing,” Musselwhite said.

Their most recent recording together, “100 Years of the Blues” on Alligator Records, was nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.

Musselwhite met Bishop as a young man during the 1960s, shortly after migrating north to Chicago from Mississippi. Bishop, who was born in California but moved to Oklahoma with his family when he was 10, also had come to join the city’s blues scene.

Upon his arrival in Chicago, Musselwhite started hanging at the local blues clubs and was regarded by the musicians as just another fan at first. Then one night, a waitress at Muddy Waters’ home club, Pepper's Lounge, urged the master bluesman to give the kid a try.

“There used to be a company that packaged shows, and everyone would tour on the same bus. They paired us, and it worked so well we realized we both enjoyed doing this, so let’s do it some more,” Musselwhite recalled.

In 1963, Bishop joined harmonica player Paul Butterfield’s blues band, remaining with the group for five years. Bishop, who now lives in Marin County, is perhaps best known for his 1976 crossover pop single, "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," featuring vocals by Mickey Thomas.

Musselwhite also led his own blues band, and after Elektra Records’ success with Butterfield, he released the album “Stand Back!” in 1966 on Vanguard Records.

Musselwhite was reportedly the inspiration for Elwood Blues, the character played by Dan Aykroyd in the 1980 film, “The Blues Brothers.” Musselwhite appeared in the film’s sequel, “Blues Brothers 2000,” along with many other blues stars, including B.B. King and Eric Clapton.

The harmonica star has appeared in some half a dozen movies.

“I didn’t plan to do any of these,” he said. “People came up to me and asked, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I’m not really an actor but I can learn lines and say ’em like I believe ’em.”

Musselwhite portrayed FBI informant Alvin Reynolds in the 2023 Martin Scorsese film “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

“I had a small but pivotal role,” the musician said.

In real life, Musselwhite’s grandfather was a part of a shootout with Al Spencer, an outlaw. “His name was Charlie Musselwhite, too,” the musician said.

In his musical career, Musselwhite has toured with everyone from Hot Tuna to Cyndi Lauper, and recorded with Bonnie Raitt, Tom Waits and many others.

The veteran bluesman pulled in a whole new generation of fans with "Get Up," his duo CD with 46-year-old singer-songwriter Ben Harper, which won a Grammy Award for blues album in 2014.

“Ben Harper is making noises about a new duo album, maybe in December,” Musselwhite said. “He’s got ideas. I’ve got ideas. And I do have an album of my own in the can that will come out next fall.”

In 2021, Musselwhite moved with his wife, Henri, back to Mississippi and now lives in Clarksdale, known as the birthplace of the blues. One of his neighbors is actor Morgan Freeman.

“Morgan Freeman is part owner of a club called Ground Zero,” Musselwhite said. “It’s about three minutes from where I live. If I fell down, I’d be halfway there. I go and sit in sometimes.”

Musselwhite’s favorite local restaurant in Clarksdale is Rest Haven, which has served some famous musicians in its time.

“Jerry Lee Lewis used to go there often,” Musselwhite said. “The menu is half Lebanese and half traditional Southern food: fried chicken, mashed potatoes.”

Musselwhite said he’s happy to make his home in Mississippi once again.

“Complete strangers come up and say hello to you,” he said.

The other half of the Luther Burbank Center double bill, the Taj Mahal Quintet, features the multi-instrumentalist Taj Mahal blending the blues with reggae, funk, jazz and Cajun music.

The group’s lineup includes his longtime bandmates, Bill Rich and Kester Smith, as well as guitarist and lap steel virtuoso Bobby Ingano, who joined in 2019. A new steel drummer will be added to fill out the quintet.

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5243. On X @danarts.