Wallace Coleman is proof positive that age is nothing but a number.

He didn’t launch his career as a blues musician until his early 50s, but his reputation grew as a central figure on the Cleveland Blues scene—and is recognized as the only harmonica player to perform extensively with guitarist Robert “Junior” Lockwood.
Wallace Coleman, Brazil, 2013Coleman turned 90 this past Tuesday, Feb. 10, and the legendary blues harmonicist decided the best way to celebrate his nonagenarian status is with a free concert and birthday party tonight, Thursday, Feb. 12 at The Sixty6 in the MidTown neighborhood.

The party begins at 5 p.m. with the 150 Trio kicking off the celebration, which goes until 9 p.m. Coleman will then perform with guitarist and vocalist Jody Getz, his longtime musical partner and wife.

Born in Morristown, Tennessee, Coleman’s passion for the blues began at an early age, although he says his infatuation with the harmonica was pure happenstance.

“One night, I was trying to tune into an episode of ‘The Lone Ranger’ on the radio, and I accidentally dialed into WLAC, out of Nashville,” he recalls. “I heard this harmonica, and I was fascinated by the sound. And the announcer said the song was by Little Walter Jacobs.

“I never heard a harmonica played like that before,” Coleman continues. “From that point on, I tried to tune in to that station every night.”

Coleman later ordered a book by Wayne Raney—known for his “talking harmonica style”—that explained how to play “Mama Blues” on the harmonica, which he eventually mastered.

He moved to Cleveland in 1957, in search of work, but soon realized that he had arrived during the city’s musical heyday—when East 105^th and Euclid Avenue, as well as Cedar Road and Woodland Avenue, were thriving hotspots with music clubs and nightlife.

“Cleveland used to have so much great music, and so many places to play in the city,” says Coleman, fondly. “The Corner Tavern, at 78^th and Cedar Avenue, was the number-one jazz club in Ohio. Man, what a place that was. George Benson, and all the greats played there. I even played there once.”

Coleman landed a job at the now-iconic Hough Bakeries on Lakeview Road, where he stayed for 30 years, and where he honed his craft by playing on the loading docks during his lunch breaks.

A co-worker, impressed by Coleman’s playing, suggested he go to a local club, the Cascade Lounge, to play with Guitar Slim (aka Nathaniel Savage). Coleman never made it to the club, so the coworker brought Slim to the bakery and introduced the two.

Impressed by Coleman’s skills, Guitar Slim invited him to sit in on a couple of songs.

Then, a chance encounter with blues great Robert Lockwood Jr. would launch Coleman’s musical career into orbit.

Wallace ColemanLockwood was intrigued by Coleman’s abilities. “‘You’re the only change player I’ve run into since I’ve been in Cleveland,’ Lockwood said to me,” Coleman recalls. “I had no idea what he meant.”

After Coleman retired from Hough Bakeries in 1987, occasional sit-ins with Lockwood’s band soon turned into a 10-year run as a member of the band, tour dates abroad, and inclusion on two of Lockwood’s albums.

In 1997, Coleman formed his own band and the travel continued, both locally and abroad, to countries including Europe, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Brazil, Spain, and Holland.

Thirty-nine years and seven albums later, Coleman is still going strong in 2026. In addition to today’s birthday show, Coleman will play additional dates at The Sixty6 throughout the summer.

“I love Cleveland—I’ve been here most of my life, and I’m happy that there are still places here I’m able to play,” he says. “If you look at life, I think the greatest creativity that man himself put on this planet was music. I don’t think anything is as great as music—I can’t imagine living anywhere without it. It just continues on and on.”

The Wallace Coleman 90^th Birthday Celebration is today, Thursday, Feb. 12, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. To ensure a spot the event, reserve your space.

The Sixty6, located in Cleveland’s MidTown neighborhood, 1966 E. 66th Street, 44103, is a live music venue, offering a diverse lineup of live performances and access to complimentary recording facilities while celebrating and revitalizing the rich musical history of the Hough neighborhood.