Chicago Blues Linked To Germany Via The Harmonica

Book Cover of Monika’s Blues
Book Cover of 'Monika’s Blues' by Herbert Quelle
Book Cover of Monika’s Blues
Book Cover of 'Monika’s Blues' by Herbert Quelle

Chicago Blues Linked To Germany Via The Harmonica

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

The blues is often described as the most American of all musical forms. Yet one of its key sounds-the harmonica-came from Germany. Just in time for the annual Chicago Blues Festival, German Consul General to the Midwest Herbert Quelle has published the new novel Monika’s Blues. The book follows Quelle’s passion for the players, the people and the culture that sprung up around the harmonica and the blues.