From the Sonny Terry Estate LLC, Montgomery, Alabama.

Offered by:

Tom Halchak, Owner of Blue Moon Harmonicas LLC,

Clearwater, FL, Authorized Agent for Sonny Terry Estate LLC

 

The harmonica featured in this auction belonged to Sonny Terry, one of the most innovative and influential harmonica musicians ever.  In a career spanning half a century, Sonny recorded and performed across and beyond America, usually with his longtime partner, guitarist Brownie McGhee.  His legacy as a folk musician is commemorated with a 1988 United States postage stamp, and among his many honors is induction into the Blues Hall of Fame and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

Thanks to his widow Emma Taylor Terry, you can now own a piece of history with a harmonica or another personal possession from this legendary musician’s collection, lovingly and intentionally preserved by her from their 1969 marital union through Sonny’s 1986 death, until her own in 2012.  You would be hard pressed to find, for such an important artist, the degree of documented authenticity and provenance detailed for Sonny’s collection.

MAKE YOUR BID NOW FOR THIS HARMONICA:

Item Number: 264-65

Make: Hohner

Model: Marine Band 1896

Key: B

Appraiser Adam Gussow’s Notes: Near Mint except for badly squeezed plae.  Plays well. Fair.

Description: This is a Hohner Marine Band in the Key of B.  It does not show a lot of wear.  The top cover is bent or more likely damaged.  Whereas many of Sonny's harps have covers that are slightly crushed from extended playing and squeezing from his hands, the deformation on the top cover of this harmonica looks to have been caused by it getting stepped on or sat on or some other impact aside from normal playing.  It is the type of damage that if this were my harmonica, I could easily fix, but I don't feel it is my place to repair the estate harps.  I am presenting these harmonicas for auction in the exact condition that they were presented to me.  The orignial box is not inlcuded.

Sonny’s harmonica will be shipped to you in an attractive shadow box display case with a hinged cover for easy access.

Ownership Facts

Emma Terry enlisted help from her Alabama-based lawyer niece, Delores R. Boyd, to inventory and store Sonny’s collection after his death and ensured a seamless transition for their safekeeping after her death.   Legal proceedings for final settlements of  Sonny’s estate and Emma’s estate,  along with a  chronology of provenance  for Sonny’s harmonicas and music memorabilia, are detailed in two Affidavits accessible here:   October 26, 2015 Affidavit of Custody and Ownership for the Hohner Harmonica Collection of Saunders “Sonny” Terry, and June 6, 2018 Affidavit of Custody and Ownership for Memorabilia and Collectibles from the Estate of Saunders “Sonny” Terry.  (Photos attached)

With the formation in 2012 of Sonny Terry Estate, LLC, all of Sonny’s harmonicas and memorabilia have been under the control of Emma’s niece, as General Partner and Manager. 

Harmonica Appraisal and Marketing

For help in valuing Sonny’s collection of Hohner harmonicas, the Estate found an invaluable resource in Adam Gussow, professor of English and Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi, famed harmonica player in the New York-based duo Satan and Adam, alongside Sterling Magee, and owner of ModernBluesHarmonica.com, a popular website dedicated to all things harmonica.  As a player, instructor and performer, Adam followed his natural inclination  to evaluate the physical condition of each harmonica and to test how well it played, an arduous task that included posting identifying numbers and notes about every single one.  Adam documented his testing work with a YouTube video dated September 15, 2015.  eBay won’t allow me to put a direct link in the listing, so if you would like to see Adam’s video, go to You Tune and search for “Adam Gussow Sonny Terr’s Harmonicas”.

The significance of Adam’s Post-it notes about each harmonica should not be overlooked.  They have become a part of the story and are included with each estate harmonica.  One thing I must point out is that Adam evaluated the harmonicas based on how well they played.  Typically, the more worn out a harmonica is, the less it is worth.  However, to a collector, the opposite is true.  The more evidence of use by the original artist, in this case, Sonny Terry, the more valuable the item may be.   Some of the harmonicas in this large collection are very worn.  Some look to be brand new.  All were owned by Sonny and each of them will come with a Certificate of Authenticity stating such.

As an avid personal fan of Sonny Terry, I am most proud of our collaborative diligence since 2016 to preserve, honor and respect Sonny and his music.  We have facilitated the establishment of a permanent Sonny Terry Exhibit at the German Harmonica and Accordion Museum in Trossingen, Germany.  We have gifted numerous harmonicas from Sonny’s personal collection to various museums and to artists, teachers and authors who have helped keep Sonny’s music alive via their playing, teaching and books.  We were directly involved with Hohner Harmonicas in the development and licensing of the Sonny Terry Heritage Edition Marine Band Harmonica.  And we have been able to offer, to Sonny Terry fans worldwide, a broad variety of items for their own private collections.  These items include an assortment of harmonicas that Sonny performed and recorded with, posters which promoted live performances, original performance Contracts, performance apparel, harmonica cases and belts.

Prior to June 2025, I sold these estate items exclusively and directly through my website.  In the interest of gaining access to a wider audience, we will be listing items for sale on eBay at reduced prices. 

If you would like to learn more about me, and how I became involved with the Sonny Terry Estate, you can listen to a podcast produced by Neil Warren of the Harmonica Happy Hour Podcast. Once again, eBay will not allow me to include a direct link.  If you would like to listen to the podcast, please visit Harmonica Happy Hour and search for “Tom Halchak, Blue Moon Harmonicas, Episode 91”.

This is a lot of information to digest.  For most, it is overkill.  But in the interest of transparency and full disclosure, for those who care to do some investigation, we are happy to provide these details.