A nine-year-old is the Iowa State Fair’s Youth Harmonica champ.
Gus Major of Ankeny has been playing the harmonica since he was a toddler and sometimes plays with his dad’s blues band. The piece he played for the State Fair competition was his own composition.
“One reason I played the blues is because the blues is dying and we need to keep the blues alive,” Major said and the crowd in Pioneer Hall on the State Fairgrounds applauded and cheered.
After the competition, Major spoke to reporters. “I started playing when I was two or three, somewhere around there. My dad gave me a broken harmonica and he thought I was going to throw it in the bottom of my toy box, but I kept with it and kept with it and I got to this level,” he said.
AUDIO of Gus Major’s performance in competition
Two other kids competed in the State Fair’s Youth Harmonica Competition. One of them admitted to being a novice. “I’m seven-and-a-half and I just started playing harmonica yesterday, so I’m not very good,” she said, to laughter and cheers. She played a recognizable tune, though, that’s based on a French nursery rhyme.
The other competitor told the host of the competition that his grandpa plays the harmonica, so he thought he’d try it.
“And do you like it?” the host asked.
“I don’t think it’s my thing,” he replied, and the audience laughed — including his grandfather in the front row.