Rough Stuff

NOMINATED FOR A 2022 BLUES BLAST MUSIC AWARD! “A purity of purpose that goes to the very heart of country blues.” – Living Blues Magazine

“Lovers of old-school blues can rejoice…this lovingly remastered effort shines like a diamond.” – Blues Blast Magazine

“A real back room, after hours feeling” – The Midwest Record

“Old-school Chicago blues at

NOMINATED FOR A 2022 BLUES BLAST MUSIC AWARD! “A purity of purpose that goes to the very heart of country blues.” – Living Blues Magazine

“Lovers of old-school blues can rejoice…this lovingly remastered effort shines like a diamond.” – Blues Blast Magazine

“A real back room, after hours feeling” – The Midwest Record

“Old-school Chicago blues at its best.” – Chicago Blues Guide

“Oscher shows the breadth of his command of four different instruments and sings on all tracks. It’s his versatility and the low-down purity of the blues that are the major takeaways.” – Making A Scene

“Paul Oscher plays the soul I feel” – Muddy Waters

In the mid 1960’s when he was still in his late teens, Brooklyn-born Paul Oscher joined the Muddy Waters Blues Band, taking the harmonica slot formerly held by greats Little Walter, James Cotton and Big Walter Horton. Paul lived in Muddy Waters’ basement in Chicago with blues pianist Otis Spann, and toured the U.S. and Europe with the band. He also recorded a number of Chess recordings with them. His harp work inspired a generation of harp players, including Magic Dick of the J. Geils Band, Jerry Potnoy, Rick Estrin and more. Oscher was a multi-instrumentalist who played guitar, piano, accordion, and vibraphone, often in tandem with his harp. On “Rough Stuff” he plays many of these instruments, and is re-united with Muddy Waters bandmates Willie “Big Eyes” Smith on drums and Pinetop Perkins on piano. It is the lowdown blues.