Johnny Maxim has been a professional harmonica player and
entertainer for over fifty years.
He has played all the major theatres in the country with all
the star names of the
day.
Johnny
came out of the navy in 1948 with the intention of getting
married and getting a regular job, but somebody gave him a
harmonica just before his twenty first birthday and he was
hooked.
"I
had no musical knowledge but I really worked at being a good
harmonica player, and by the time I was twenty five I had
achieved 2nd place in the World Harmonica Championships in
Duisburg, playing the classical overture
'The Dance of the Comedians'".
Johnny
came home from Duisburg and entered showbiz. Initially he
did a solo act, then formed harmonica trio 'The Chroma Trio',
and finally finished with a family act 'The Musical Maxims',
which consisted of his wife Kath, son John and daughter Sharon:
they played harmonicas, melodicas, trumpets, trombone, saxophone,
guitar, piano and vocals.
In
1980 Johnny Maxim was made a member of the very prestigious
showbiz fraternity 'The Grand Order Of Water Rats', whose
membership never exceeds 180 at any one time.
Johnny
is in his 80s now, but still loves playing, and still gets
to play harmonica features and saxophone with several bands.
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