Jerry Murad's Harmonicats
The group regularly proformed at the Bijou Vaudeville lounge with Pete Petersen and Jerry Murad on chromatic, AL Fiore on chord, and Bob Hamdick on bass.
In 1941, Jerry and AL left the famous Borrah Minevitch rascals, and started a group, quickly to bring on Don Les as a third member, becoming the Harmonicats in 1946.
In 1947, the group consisted of Murad, Fiore, Don Les on bass harmonica, and Cappy Lafell on Polyphonia.
[citation needed] Pedersen and Gail Wallace remained contributors to the group throughout its existence, working on arrangements and occasionally recording.
[citation needed] In 1958, Al Fiore suffered his first heart attack and Bob Herndon filled in for him for several months.
Other members of the group included the following: Jerry Murad (1918–1996) (chromatic harmonica) was an Armenian born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1918, and moved to America at the age of 2.
Murad played Hohner 270s and 64s, as well as the Musette, a harmonica made especially for him that replicates the sound qualities of a French accordion.
[citation needed] Johnny Thompson joined The Harmonicats in 1951 on bass harmonica, but left after a short time.
[citation needed] Dick Gardner (bass harmonica) took over for Don Les in 1970 and remained with the Cats for over 20 years.
[citation needed] Bob Bauer (chord harmonica) took over for George Miklas in 1985 and after Al Fiore left the group.
Bob started out as a chord player for his own group, the Harmonikings (sometimes written as the Harmoni-kings) and later Paul Baron's Harmonica Rascals.
[citation needed] Al Data played chord with the group in its final days, until Murad's death in 1996.
[citation needed] Joe Mass Junior (1953–2018) played chord for the Harmonicats one year, while on tour in California.
He was a short-time member, but recorded audio tracks with Murad, and was featured on the Harmonicats' first DVD video performance and the re-release of "Collector's Item", with his brother, J.R. Mass.
Joe Mass was also a member of the Big Harp, and the chord player for The Generation Gap harmonica trio throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, alongside his brother.
[citation needed] Pete Pedersen was the main arranger for the group and remained the second chromatic player for many albums over the band's nearly 50 years of recording.
