"Hummel and his swinging brand of blues are a match made in heaven."
-Living Blues

Mark Hummel started the Blues Survivors in 1976 with Mississippi Johnny Waters in Berkeley, CA. The band has changed personnel a few times since those early years but continues to be a straight up blues and roots outfit.

JR Watson is the guitarist on Hummel’s True Believer(2024), Hard Lovin’ 90s( 1990), Lowdown To Uptown

(1997) & Mark Hummel’s Blues Harmonica Meltdown One (2000).Watson has recorded and toured w/Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers 1976-87, Canned Heat 1988-93, Kim Wilson 1993-95, solo projects 1995-present. Watson has recorded on over 150 sessions including Jimmy Rogers, William Clarke, Charlie Musselwhite, Hollywood Blue Flames, Big Mama Thornton, George Harmonica Smith, Luther Tucker, Shakey Jake and countless others.

Past band members have included Sue Foley, Rusty Zinn, Anthony Paule, Chris Masterson, Randy Bermudes & June Core (Charlie Musselwhite’s rhythm section), Bob Welsh (Elvin Bishop and The Fabulous Thunderbirds), Jimi Bott, Ronnie James Weber, Derrick “D’Mar” Martin (Rick Estrin and the Nightcats) as well as dozens more who started with Hummel. These days some of these same players continue to appear with Mark along with younger players like Pete Fazzini, Tony Delgado andr Niko Hernandez.

The Blues Survivors have been touring since 1984 across the US and the globe. Mark’s reputation of maintaining a first class band has made them one of the busiest bands on the planet, thanks to fiery harp blowing, guitar prowess and a wide ranging repertoire.

Mark is the recipient of two Blues Music Awards, a Grammy nomination and has thirty albums to his credit.

What the Critics Say

"Hummel, a specialist in West Coast Blues, knows a thing or two about about how to please an audience"  - New Yorker
"Hummel plays the harmonica with the fat, full sound that made Little Walter sound almost like a saxophonist rather than a harp man".  -Chicago Sun-Times
“Mark Hummel is a Harmonica Virtuoso. He is one of a handful of the Best Players ever on the Instrument”. – Blues Revue MagazineThe Original Blues Survivors circa 1979

The Legendary Junior Watson and Mark Hummel