Phil Wiggins is one the best blues harmonica-players out there He produces a rich sound with amazing dexterity—moving from a rounded melody to a scorching solo in a moment. Phil Wiggins came up in Washington DC and while he was still a kid, he played with great bluesmen like Flora Molton, John Jackson, Johnny Shines and of course, guitarist John Cephas—his partner for almost 35 years.
Cephas and Wiggins came together when Phil joined the Chief Ellis’s band the Barrel House Rockers. After Ellis retired, Cephas and Wiggins began performing and recording together. Although John Cephas was Phil’s elder by some 25 years, the two had quickly developed into a partnership of incomparable musicality and mutual appreciation. Audiences and critics alike took notice. Together they toured around world, cut a dozen records, won awards, and played at venues from the Sydney Opera House to Carnegie Hall to the White House. After John Cephus passed away in 2009, Phil Wiggins played with a number of musicians like Ben Turner, Taj Mahal and Corey Harris. He started an acoustic string band called the Chesapeake Sheiks…a group that plays swing, roots, and of course, blues.