Classic Blues Songs You Can Play on an A Harmonica: Full Guide
- Liam Ward

- Apr 15
- 5 min read
Updated: May 20

A key of A harmonica is one of the most useful tools a blues player can own, because it has a great range of notes and fits for playing one of the most popular keys in the blues. It has been used by early country blues stars like DeFord Bailey and Sonny Terry as well as later blues legends like Muddy Waters and Little Walter. In fact, it has probably been used in blues music more than any other key of harmonica.
This guide focuses specifically on authentic blues songs you can play using an A harp because the original recording used one. The list below is a great resource for finding great blues songs that you can use your A harp to play.
A Quick Note on Positions
Most blues is played in 2nd position (cross harp). On an A harmonica, this means the key of E. I will indicate in the table below when the song is played in a different position.
👉 If you would like more information about positions, check out my Guide to Harmonica Positions.
Classic Blues Songs Using an A Harmonica
Here is a list of more than 120 blues songs by classic blues harmonica players, all of which use a key of A harmonica:
Title | Artist | Notes |
A Funny Thing | Carlos del Junco | (12th position) |
Ain't It Crazy | James Harman | |
Alcoholic Blues | DeFord Bailey | |
All Cried Out | Paul deLay | (3rd position) |
Asked Her For Water | Howlin' Wolf | |
Baby Scratch My Back | Fabulous Thunderbirds | |
Baby | Little Walter | (3rd position) |
Bell Hop | Carey Bell | |
Blowing the Blues | Sonny Terry | |
Blue Mood | Little Walter | |
Blues is Killing Me | William Clarke | (1st position) |
Boogie All Night | Kim Wilson | |
Boom Boom, Out Go the Lights | Little Walter | |
Bright Lights, Big City | Jimmy Reed | (1st position) |
Bring It On Home | Sonny Boy Williamson II | |
Bring It On Home to Me | Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee | |
Can't Hold Out Much Longer | Big Walter Horton | |
Careless Love | Big Walter Horton | |
C-Boy Blues | Kim Wilson | |
Chicago Bound | Jimmy Rogers | |
Creeper Creeps Again | James Cotton | |
Cry Before I Go | Jimmy Reed | (1st position) |
Davidson County Blues | DeFord Bailey | |
Diggin’ My Potatoes | William Clarke | |
Dirty Deal | Mitch Kashmar | (1st position) |
Don't Get Around Much Anymore | Big Walter Horton | |
Don't Treat Me Wrong | William Clarke | |
Down at the Grocery Store | Jimmy Reed | (1st position) |
Dust My Broom | Sonny Boy Williamson II | |
Ends and Odds | Jimmy Reed | |
Evans Shuffle | Muddy Waters | |
Evil | William Clarke | |
Extra Napkins | James Harman | |
Fast Life Blues | Charlie Musselwhite | |
Found Love | Jimmy Reed | (1st position) |
Fourteen Dollars in the Bank | The Paul deLay Band | (3rd position) |
Fox Chase | DeFord Bailey | |
Freight Train | Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee | |
Got My Mojo Workin' | Muddy Waters | |
Hard Hearted Woman | Big Walter Horton | |
Hate to See You Go | Billy Branch & The Sons of Blues | |
Heartaches and Pain | Carey Bell | (1st position) |
Heaven's Where You'll Dwell | Carlos del Junco | |
High Temperature | Little Walter | |
Honest I Do | Jimmy Reed | |
Hoochie Coochie Man | Muddy Waters | (1st position) |
How It Came to Be | Jason Ricci & New Blood | |
Hoof & Mouth | Mark Graham | |
Hootin' Blues | Sonny Terry | |
How Long | Leadbelly (feat. Sonny Terry) | |
I Ain’t Got You | Jimmy Reed | |
I Can't Quit You No | The Paul deLay Band | (3rd position) |
I Got a Woman | Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee | |
I Just Keep Loving Her | Little Walter | |
I Love The Life I Live (I Live The Life I Love) | Muddy Waters | |
Ice Water Blues | DeFord Bailey | (1st position) |
It's Not Easy | Big Walter Horton | |
Jersey Bounce | Carlos del Junco | (12th position) |
John Henry | DeFord Bailey | |
Juke | Little Walter | |
Jump The Boogie | Papa Lightfoot | |
Just As Well to Kill Me | James Harman | |
Key To The Highway | Sonny Terry | |
La Cucharacha | Big Walter Horton | (1st position) Fine Cuts album |
Live The Life I Love | Muddy Waters | |
Looking to the Future | William Clarke | |
Lost John | Sonny Terry | |
Lovin' My Baby | Big Walter Horton with Carey Bell | |
Luedella | Jimmy Rogers | |
Mean Mistreater | Big Walter Horton | |
Mean Old Frisco | Sonny Terry | |
Moanin' At Midnight | Howlin' Wolf | |
Mojo | Carlos del Junco & The Blues Mongrels | |
Muscle Shoal Blues | DeFord Bailey | |
Mystery Train | The Butterfield Blues Band | |
Nineteen Years Old | Muddy Waters | |
Odds and Ends | Jimmy Reed | |
Oh What A Beautiful City | Sonny Terry | |
Old Jabo | Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee | |
On the Road Again | Canned Heat | (6 draw tuned up one semitone) |
One Monkey Don't Stop the Show | Sonny Terry | |
One of These Mornings | Little Walter | (3rd position) |
Over Money | The Paul deLay Band | (3rd position) |
Pan American Blues | DeFord Bailey | |
Pocket Rocket | Kim Wilson | |
Punchy | The Paul deLay Band | |
Reaching the Blues | Sonny Terry | |
Rock Me | Muddy Waters | |
Rocker | Little Walter | |
Rocket 88 | The James Cotton Band | |
Rockin' My Boogie | Big Walter Horton | |
Roll and Rhumba | Jimmy Reed | |
Roller Coaster | Little Walter | |
She's My Baby | Kim Wilson | (3rd position) |
She's So Sweet | Sonny Terry | |
She's Tuff | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | |
Ships on the Ocean | Junior Wells | (3rd position) |
Smokestack Lightning | Howlin' Wolf | |
Snake Dancer | Little Walter | |
Snatch It Back and Hold It | Junior Wells | (3rd position) |
Somebody is Calling Me Home | William Clarke | |
South Bound Express | Sonny Terry | |
Spoonful | Howlin' Wolf | |
Telephone Blues | George "Harmonica" Smith | (3rd position) |
Tell Me Baby | Big Walter Horton | |
Temperature | Little Walter | |
Temptation Blues | Big Walter Horton | |
That's All Right | Jimmy Rogers | |
That’s All Right | Sugar Blue | |
The Creeper | James Cotton | |
The Field | Carlos del Junco & The Blues Mongrels | (12th position) |
The Red Cross Store | Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee | |
Too Late | Bacon Fat | |
Tryin' So Hard | William Clarke | |
Up Country Blues | DeFord Bailey | |
Walter's Boogie | Big Walter Horton | |
War is Over | William Clarke | |
West Helena Blues | George "Harmonica" Smith | |
Whammer Jammer | The J. Geils Band | |
When I Get Drunk | Carey Bell | |
Whoopin' The Blues | Sonny Terry | |
You're So Fine | Little Walter |
I hope this table has helped you to find some great blues harmonica songs to play. Why not check out my articles on other keys next?
Want to Learn Blues Harmonica Properly?
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These are the exact skills behind players like Little Walter and Sonny Terry - and I even teach specific songs played by these guys and many more. If you're serious about improving, click to start your free trial today.





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