HARMONICA PLAYER OF THE YEAR goes to ...
Sun, 08/16/2026 - 09:39
Hello Everyone,
We are thrilled to share that our very own Ross Garren was honored with the "HARMONICA PLAYER OF THE YEAR" award! The announcement was made yesterday (2026-08-15) at the 2026 SPAH event in St. Louis, MO.
We are all incredibly proud of your dedication and truly inspired by your remarkable achievements!
Photo of award at:
https://harpsmith.com/
Your HARPSMITH, Kinya
I was privileged to meet and play with Ross at Harmonica Northwest a couple of years back. With all of his movie soundtrack credits, amazing performances, and recordings, one might worry that it's gone to his head. But no, he is one of the most modest and welcoming musicians one could ever meet.
For folks here who don't know about Ross (or about the late Bernie Bray, or SPAH), I hope they do some research to learn more about him, and about other great folks past and present associated with SPAH.
And Kinya, with no slight intended to one who has designed and built beautiful instruments for Ross, Ross is the kind of player who could pick up a $10 harmonica in a toy store, and come out sounding wonderful.
Thanks for passing this on to the bluesharmonica.com world.
Ukulele Rob plays Hohner™ harmonicas customized by Kinya Pollard, The Harpsmith™