Dennis Gruenling

Through his work as a harpist, producer, and a disc jockey, Dennis Gruenling kept the sound of classic post-war electric blues alive in the 21st century. Performing in a rough, emphatic style that shows the influence of harmonica masters such as <a href="spotify:artist:22JuR9OeENcP54XN5TlNWS">Little Walter</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:78CBFzwo7wwNaaTYVP5btK">Junior Wells</a>, Gruenling's gutsy tone is a superb match for the tough, streetwise sound of his harp work and his equally emphatic vocals. A three-time winner of Real Blues magazine's Best Modern Blues Harmonica Player trophy, Gruenling made a splash as a solo artist and bandleader on releases like 1999's Dennis Gruenling & Jump Time and 2008's I Just Keep Lovin' Him (A Tribute to Little Walter), but he's also a respected sideman who has toured and recorded with <a href="spotify:artist:6B3fdJhhhAVJ4RTrFAptMM">the Nick Moss Band</a>, notably on 2023's Get Your Back Into It.

A native of New Jersey, Dennis Gruenling started playing harmonica as a teenager after a family friend gave him his first blues harp as a Christmas gift. Discovering the seminal 1990 album Harp Attack! -- featuring <a href="spotify:artist:6mY93oNfUaUwZq67yn3R8k">James Cotton</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7wcrtrCODZkNbpq1ZYABxs">Carey Bell</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:78CBFzwo7wwNaaTYVP5btK">Junior Wells</a> -- he flipped for the blues, and soon discovered fellow harp masters <a href="spotify:artist:22JuR9OeENcP54XN5TlNWS">Little Walter</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:7ApWhtmpJkPyd5WjwDdDfX">Big Walter Horton</a>. Devoting himself to the instrument, he dropped out of school and headed to New Orleans with a girlfriend, soaking up influences and honing his skills, before moving back to Jersey in 1994. He kept gigging over the next few years, forming a group called Jump Time in 1998 who specialized in jump blues and vintage boogie woogie sounds. The band released their debut, Dennis Gruenling & Jump Time, on the harpist's <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Back+Bender+Records%22">Back Bender Records</a> imprint in 1999.

Two other records -- the solo set Up All Night (2000) and a second Jump Time LP, That's Right! (2001) -- quickly followed before Gruenling put the Jump Time band on ice. Gruenling turned to collaborating with other blues musicians over the next few years, appearing on albums by <a href="spotify:artist:5G7a5hIfomqVuXlk4D3WfQ">Gina Sicilia</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3RdBFwjdc3Gfy8BcxAivRT">Dave Gross</a>, Jumpin' Jack, and <a href="spotify:artist:4M2iJfudRSiwXV5vadtR78">Peter Karp</a>. In 2006, he and fellow blues harpist Richard Sleigh collaborated on the full-length album Volume 1. 2007 saw Gruenling land one of his more unusual gigs, playing harp solos on a self-titled album from emo-pop band and MTV Band in a Bubble stars <a href="spotify:artist:6wQMF27xWhSyJFnO9L5mQk">Cartel</a>. For 2008's I Just Keep Lovin' Him: A Tribute to Little Walter, Gruenling assembled a handful of blues harp giants to collaborate on the project, including <a href="spotify:artist:3LkeAX21Tyb0t1CCAP5aq3">Kim Wilson</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2pSsCjthnXnRu9rTdugjDv">Rick Estrin</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:5EH8UkrmUawIDVhCLxsJFH">Steve Guyger</a>. 2010's History of the Blues Harmonica Concert documented a live show with Gruenling, David Barrett, Joe Filisko, and Kinya Pollard, staged as a master class workshop for players eager to improve their technique. Gruenling continued to spread the word about the blues through his weekly radio show on Teaneck, NJ's WFDU, Blues & the Beat, plus he taught blues harmonica at workshops and private lessons, as well as collecting and promoting gear for harp players. In 2012, Gruenling teamed up with Detroit-based guitarist Doug Deming and his band <a href="spotify:artist:7hrtXWy1wYzTZ8gD6Kz6pS">the Jewel Tones</a> for a pair of albums; Rockin' All Day featured Gruenling leading the group, while Deming took the spotlight on What's It Gonna Take. Four years later, Gruenling teamed up again with Deming and the <a href="spotify:artist:7hrtXWy1wYzTZ8gD6Kz6pS">Jewel Tones</a> for 2016's Ready or Not. Gruenling also guested on 2016's The Arson's Match: Peter Karp, Live in NYC, which also featured an appearance from former <a href="spotify:artist:22bE4uQ6baNwSHPVcDxLCe">Rolling Stones</a> guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:4tkgLX1wdWoOu2lyeQNYAi">Mick Taylor</a>.

Gruenling next launched an ongoing collaboration with guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:7iJhOBVMlBYpU7Z4QiSlVn">Nick Moss</a>, handling harp and lead vocals on 2018's The High Cost of Low Living by <a href="spotify:artist:6B3fdJhhhAVJ4RTrFAptMM">the Nick Moss Band</a>, released on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Alligator+Records%22">Alligator Records</a>. Gruenling and <a href="spotify:artist:7iJhOBVMlBYpU7Z4QiSlVn">Moss</a> proved to be a good fit, and the harp master would also appear on the <a href="spotify:artist:6B3fdJhhhAVJ4RTrFAptMM">Nick Moss Band</a>'s 2019 release Lucky Guy! They worked together again on 2023's Get Your Back Into It. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Mark Deming, Rovi