Magic Dick
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Born: May 13, 1945, in New London, Connecticut, USA.
Richard "Magic Dick" Salwitz was the harmonica player for The J. Geils Band.
In addition to the harmonica, Salwitz plays the trumpet, which was the first instrument he learned. He attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he met Jerome "J" Geils and Danny Klein and became a founding member of the J. Geils Blues Band in 1968.
After the J. Geils Band parted ways in 1985, Salwitz spent time working on a harmonica design of his own, which he labled the "Magic Harmonica", a co-invention with Pierre Beauregard.
[edit] Bluestime Is Formed
In 1992, Salwitz re-united with his old friend and bandmate J. Geils and formed the band "Bluestime". Bluestime featured Steve Ramsey on drums, Jerry Miller on guitar, and Roy McCloud on bass. McCloud was later replaced by Michael "Mudcat" Ward, who played with the band for several years before leaving to pursue other interests. Ward was subsequently replaced by bassist John Turner. The band was a fusion of Chicago blues and classic jazz.
The band released two records on the Rounder Records label:
a. Bluestime (1994) and; b. Little Car Blues (1996).
Bluestime toured heavily up to at least 2002, as both a solo act and as part of B.B. King's Bluesfest.
It is believed the band is currently on hiatus.
