Jerry Portnoy

Jerry Portnoy (born November 25, 1943, in Evanston, Illinois, United States) is an American harmonica blues musician, who has toured with Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton.

Biography Portnoy grew up in Chicago. He first heard the blues played outside his father's carpet store in the Maxwell Street market in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Portnoy began to perform professionally in 1970, touring the Midwest with the band of Johnny "Man" Young (guitar/mandolin). He remained until June 1980 when he and other members of Waters' band (pianist Pinetop Perkins, drummer Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and bassist Calvin "Fuzz" Jones) formed The Legendary Blues Band, where he remained until 1986.