About us
The Bushman Brand
The Bushman brand was created when I drew the logo on a paper towel, and got our EIN number on January 3rd, 1996. My love for the harmonica started when I was 5 years old and my grandpa gave me one. A music loving family made it easy to stick with the instrument allowing me to play it at church and family reunions.
On a summer’s evening in 1990, I walked by the Slippery Noodle in Indianapolis and heard a harmonica player wailing the blues, and it was love at first sound! My ever growing love of music fueled my enthusiasm for the business, and led me to found the Bean Blossom Blues Fest in 1999. I ran the festival for 15 years which gave me the rich experience of working with the best harmonica players in the world. This experience shaped the destiny of Bushman Harmonicas – I learned what harmonica players wanted and needed out of their instruments.
Pre-Covid Years 1996 – 2020
The Soul’s Voice was the first Bushman harmonica. Launched In April 2000 the Soul’s Voice was a good quality harmonica made in Klingenthal, Germany and it helped put Bushman on the map as a trusted harmonica brand.
The Delta Frost came next. It was launched in August 2003 at the SPAH Harmonica Convention which was held in Dallas, TX that year. The Delta Frost met with immediate success right from the start. At first, we only offered it with a plastic comb (Original), but now you get it with a traditional wood comb (Woody), or with an aluminum comb (Steelie).
In March of 2014 I sold the blues fest, and in September of 2017 I moved Bushman from Indianapolis, Indiana up to Marcellus, Michigan where I grew up.
Our Journey to Becoming Essential, 2020 – Present
On March 13th, 2020, the governor of Michigan declared that, due to the pandemic, if your business is non-essential you must stay home. My first thought was, “What knucklehead would run a non-essential business?”. My next thought was, “Well, if I’m being honest, no one really needs a harmonica to survive; so I guess Bushman is non-essential.” My third thought was, “If all we’re offering is another version of a Hohner Special 20, we’re definitely NOT essential!”. And it was that thought that changed my life, and the course of Bushman Music Works.
Immediately I became tunnel visioned on becoming essential. I adopted an attitude I call, “Cry if I die”, which means that I want to treat people so well – both personally and professionally, that if I die, or Bushman goes out of business, the world will be very sad and desperately miss us! Personally, that was easy – I just needed to put others first, become a servant, and a reliable promise keeper.
Professionally, it meant I needed to provide harmonica players with real solutions to never before solved problems. I needed to open doors that for 200 years have been closed to harmonica players! Our harmonicas needed to be, not just different, but better at helping players go wherever they want to go, indeed wherever they dream they can go! I created our new slogan – Dream it, Play it! And I mean it.
Being completely focused on becoming essential, has opened my eyes on how to solve problems and break down walls that harmonica companies have struggled with since 1821. Things like sticking us with an instrument that’s missing that “essential” 6th note of the scale. Not having the A on blow 3 on a C Richter diatonic – the world’s most common harmonica – really limits what the instrument can do melodically. We solved that with our Blues Shifter – that was step 1 to becoming essential.
Since their invention in 1845, double-reed harmonicas have required too much air, hindering their mainstream appeal. We solved this with the Knittlinger – the world’s easiest-playing double-reed. Known for its massive accordion sound without the breath fatigue, the Knittlinger has become a global bestseller. It’s truly loved by everyone who’s had the pleasure of playing one. Bushman’s the only brand in the world with a Knittlinger, and there’s nothing close to its quality and playability – that was step 2 to becoming essential!
Our entire Game Changer series is selling like hot cakes. The Solo for the fact that it’s a pocket sized chromatic that you can bend – finally, a really expressive chromatic! The Pop because of all the melodies and cool minor chords it produces – it’s a melody monster with a harmonic minor scale in the low register that offers all kinds of fun possibilities. And the Blues because it feels like home to most players, but it can do so much more than any other 10-hole diatonic. Our Game Changer series was step 3 to becoming essential!
In order for any harmonica company to become essential, they must offer an excellent line of standard 10-hole diatonics – the best selling musical instrument in the world! Our John Lee brought our 10-hole diatonic game way up! The factory that makes the John Lee is gifted at making airtight, super responsive harmonicas that come ready to bend right out of the box. In fact, I think they’re the most talented harmonica factory in the world right now, and some of the best players in the world agree with me. Our new Roundhouse offers players the most comfortable diatonic in our line while also being super responsive. And our Delta Frost, the workhorse of the Bushman line, has been our best seller since 2003, and they’re the preferred gig harmonica for many professional musicians like G Love & Special Sauce, Adam Crabb of the Gaither Vocal Band, and Bobby Rush! Offering a loved, reliable line of 10-hole diatonics was step 4 to becoming essential.
And, step 5 toward becoming essential was tiny, but mighty – our Bushman Dinky – the world’s first 5-hole, 1-1/2″ long mini harmonica on which you can play in both 1st and 2nd positions, making it the smallest blues harmonica ever made! It employs holes 3 thru 7 on a normal 10-hole making it far more useful than any other mini! The Dinky was step 5 to becoming essential.
Becoming essential isn’t a destination; it’s a relentless pursuit. At Bushman, we are constantly on the trail, tracking new ways to serve the harmonica community with the tenacity of a bloodhound. If you have ideas on how we can better support your playing, please call me directly at 269-858-8773—I’m all ears!
I can’t take all the credit for the advances Bushman has made. I get a lot of help from players, customizers, and harmonica wizards like Pete Hogie, Winslow Yerxa, Jan Peters, Rick Epping, Ross Garren, Chris Bauer, Rodrigo Eberienos, Kinya Pollard, Dayton Olson, Dominick O’Dierno, Joel Anderson, Boris Plotnikov, Jane Gillman, Mark Jaeger, and the Knittlingen Mundharmonika Orchestra.
Rockin’ Ron’s has stood by Bushman through thick and thin, and I will always appreciate all that he does – not just for Bushman -but for the entire harmonica community. Fred at Eezy Reeder has supported Bushman for many years as well. Both Fred and Ron are great places to get your Hohners and Seydels. As Bushman has become more essential I understand that people are still going to have other brands besides Bushman in their harmonica cases – we don’t need all your business – I want every harmonica brand that improves the lives of harmonica players to succeed!
And I must mention our best brick-n-mortar dealer for the last 10 years – Music Villa of Bozeman, MT – I’ll never understand how they sell so many harmonicas in a state with more Grizzlies than people! Thanks Geno!!!
I’m super excited about our exclusive Bushman dealer for Europe – Thomann! What a spectacular business partner for us to have. Now Europe can start enjoying the advantages of the Blues Shifter, the Knittlinger, and the rest of the Bushman line. I consider all of these people to be something more than friends – they’re mentors, they’re family, and they’re ESSENTIAL!