Harry Muskee
June 10, 1941 – September 26, 2011
Harry “Cuby” Muskee was a Dutch blues singer who built a considerable following throughout the Netherlands during the ’60s and ’70s. Muskee was just 15 when he took up the guitar, and while he was in high school, he was turned on to jazz and Dixieland. He soon formed his first band, the Mixtures who played jazz primarily at school dances. Around that time, he began picking up the US Armed Forces Radio which was broadcasting to the American soldiers who were stationed in nearby Germany. It was on the radio that he began hearing American blues, and in particular, John Lee Hooker, who inspired him to devote the rest of his life to singing the blues. He formed Cuby & the Blizzards who in 1962, released their first album, Groeten Uit Grolloo to both critical and fan praise. A groundbreaking album at the time, it propelled the band (which also included Herman Brood and Eelco Gelling), to the top of Dutch music scene. They released several more albums and toured with likes of Fleetwood Mac and Van Morrison before breaking up in 1972. Muskee continued to perform in various configurations and record throughout the better part of the life, his most recent album being 2009’s Cats Lost. Harry Muskee died of cancer on September 26, 2011. He was 70.
Thanks to Henk de Bruin at 2+ Printing for the assist.