Shawn Strickland

small:Shawn Strickland

Shawn Strickland - Williamsport, PA, USA

After hearing his first Muddy Waters album at 14, Shawn instantly picked up the harmonica and guitar, sparking a lifelong pursuit of listening to and playing music--especially blues. In 2001, at age 16 he began performing in his father’s classic rock band. Eventually he began to perform solo and in duos on guitar and harmonica; playing some originals and a lot of acoustic blues standards with his own style.

He competed in the solo/duo category of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN in 2012, 2013, and 2015. Performing solo, he won the 2011 Billtown Blues Challenge in Williamsport, PA. In 2012, Shawn was named the winner of the solo/duo category of the Natchel Blues Network Challenge in Virginia Beach, VA; he also won the 2014 Natchel Blues Network Challenge as a duo with his father, Gary Strickland.

Shawn currently plays solo, in a duo named Mini Mojo, and in two 5 piece bands: The Dirty Mojo Blues Band and Mama Warned Ya. In addition, he runs a full-band weekly blues jam and an acoustic weekly blues jam in and around Williamsport, PA. The Dirty Mojo Blues Band is set to release their first full length LP, Made Cents at the Time in the summer of 2016.

Some of his influences on the harmonica include: Junior Wells, Little Walter, Big Walter Horton, James Cotton, Sonny Terry, Phil Wiggins, Magic Dick, Kim Wilson and the list goes on. Some of his influences on guitar are: Big Bill Broonzy, Snooks Eaglin, Willie Mctell, Reverend Gary Davis, Blind Boy Fuller, Josh White, Mississippi John Hurt and John Cephas. He is also highly influenced in general by the music of New Orleans.

Shawn’s favorite harmonica is the Seydel SESSION STEEL: “They are the best out of the box harmonicas I’ve ever played; they are just a higher quality instrument”.


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Shawn Strickland
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