The Country Side Of Harmonica Sam

Biography

The Country Side of Harmonica Sam is a Swedish band from the Malmö area in southern Sweden, specializing in recreating the golden era of country music from the late 1950s and early 1960s, characterized by steady 4/4 shuffles, whining pedal steel guitar, and tic-tac bass. The band formed around 2009-2013 when pedal steel player Peter Andersson, who had been performing western swing and country with Ulrik Jansson and Patrik Malmros, met Harmonica Sam (real name not specified), a former blues harmonica player from the same town with a strong local following after releasing his 2008 album Rocker #1 on Enviken Records featuring Boppin’ Steve and The Domestic Bumblebees.[1][4][5]

Johan Bandling Melin, a songwriter from the bluegrass scene, joined the lineup, solidifying the core group: Peter Andersson (pedal steel, bandmaster), Ulrik Jansson (upright bass), Patrik Malmros (drums), Johan Bandling Melin (lead guitar/harmony vocals), and Harmonica Sam (lead vocals/rhythm guitar). They debuted with a 7” single Changing Her Thinking in 2013, followed by their first album Open Letter to the Blues recorded in Berlin in 2015, second album A Drink After Midnight at Gula Studion in Malmö in 2016 (with dance hit Lookout Heart), and third album Broken Bottle, Broken Heart in 2019, featuring original songs by Dan Englund, Tobias Einstead, and Jake Penrod alongside classics from artists like Faron Young and Ray Price.[2][4][5]

The band's obsessive authenticity in sound, lyrics, singing style, instrumentation, and even recording techniques has earned acclaim for sounding more American than many U.S. acts, bridging traditional honky-tonk and rockabilly while performing across Europe and earning invitations to events like Nashville Boogie.[1][4]

Fun Facts

• Despite the name, the band features no harmonica; Harmonica Sam transitioned from 1990s blues to country after meeting Peter Andersson in 2009.[4]
• All members hail from southern Sweden near Malmö but produce music so authentically American that it's described as sounding 'more American than most Americans.'[1]
• Their 2016 B-side 'Lookout Heart' became a major dance floor hit on Europe's retro scene.[5]
• Songwriters Dan Englund, Tobias Einstead, and Jake Penrod contribute originals that evoke Hank Williams chills while avoiding modern anachronisms.[4]

Members

• Robert Skoglund - drums (drum set) (from 2023-08)

Original Members

• Robert Skoglund - drums (drum set)

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Boppin’ Steve & The Playtones - Early performance collaborations that led to Peter's suggestion to recruit Harmonica Sam (Shared shows influencing band formation) [2009]

Key Collaborators

• Peter Andersson - Pedal steel guitar, bandmaster (All albums including Open Letter to the Blues (2015), A Drink After Midnight (2016), Broken Bottle, Broken Heart (2019)) [2009-present]
• Ulrik Jansson - Upright bass, from western swing band Swinging Hayriders (All albums) [2013-present]
• Patrik Malmros - Drums, from western swing band Swinging Hayriders (All albums) [2013-present]
• Johan Bandling Melin - Lead guitar/harmony vocals, bluegrass songwriter (All albums) [2013-present]
• Boppin’ Steve and The Domestic Bumblebees - Featured on Harmonica Sam's solo album (Rocker #1 (2008)) [2008]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Lookout Heart (A Drink After Midnight)
2. If That's the Way It's Gotta Be (Broken Bottle, Broken Heart)
3. A Drink After Midnight (A Drink After Midnight)
4. Broken Bottle, Broken Heart (Broken Bottle, Broken Heart)
5. I've Been Draggin' Since You've Gone (Broken Bottle, Broken Heart)
6. Tell Her (Back to the Blue Side)
7. Cry Me a River (A Drink After Midnight)
8. My First Broken Heart (Since My Last Broken Heart) (Broken Bottle, Broken Heart)
9. This Train (Tell Her)
10. Blues Are Settin' In (A Drink After Midnight)

External Links

• Spotify
• MusicBrainz