I have played a harmonica for 50 years and I play Genevieve in my two hour show.

I was at The Pop Factory in Porth S.Wales for his last television appearance and I had a conversation with him.

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Replying to:

Highly-acclaimed musician Larry Adler, widely acknowledged as the world's greatest harmonica player, has died at the age of 87.


US-born Adler, who had been in showbiz for an astonishing 73 years, had been battling cancer and recently suffered a series of health setbacks.








Adler brought new respect for the instrument





He died last night at St Thomas's Hospital in London surrounded by his family.




His manager, Jonathan Shalit, said: "Only three weeks ago we were talking about him doing a concert in China."




"He was very active until the end, that was one of the things which made him such a remarkable man."




The musician's last recording was a duet of Young at Heart with Cerys Matthews from the Welsh pop band Catatonia.




She joked at the time that she preferred older men.




He was known for his original collaborations with musicians such as George Gershwin, Kate Bush, Sting and composer Vaughan Williams, but also his own virtuoso performances.




Showbusiness friends, including Elton John, Sting and Sir George Martin, had sent messages in recent days to the legend.




Shalit said: "He was without doubt one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century and the world is a poorer place without him.




Self-taught




Lawrence Cecil Adler, who was Jewish, was born in Baltimore, USA on 10 February 1914.




He taught himself the harmonica and began to play professionally at the age of 14.








Adler wrote his autobiography in 1985





Adler moved to the UK in 1949 having been forced to leave the States after accusations of pro-communist sympathies during the McCarthy era.




The slurs ruined his career in the US, though he was widely respected for his refusal to accuse other musicians or acquaintances.




Besides his musical fame, Adler also appeared in a number of films - playing himself.




He was also known as a prolific letter writer, his correspondence to the satirical magazine Private Eye becoming legendary.




He also wrote an autobiography - It Ain't Necessarily So - in 1985, and worked as a food critic for Harper's & Queen.




The 1953 movie Genevieve brought him an Oscar nomination for his work on the soundtrack, although his name was originally kept off the credits because of the McCarthy blacklisting.




Adler is survived by four children, two grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Writing From Nr. Cardiff Wales UK