Richard 'Hacksaw' Harney

Richard "Hacksaw" Harney. (b. 16 July 1902, Money, Mississippi, United States. Blues guitarist & pianist.

Hacksaw was regarded by many musicians as the best guitarist in the Delta.--Robert Palmer.Deep Blues.

Together with his brother Maylon Harney they acompanied singers such as Walter Rhodes or Pearl Dickson under the name "Pet" And "Can". He also recorded with them for Columbia Records.

After his brother was murdered in a Juke joint, he worked full time as a piano tuner and repairer in the Memphis area (Tennessee). He also played with Robert Lockwood junior, Robert Johnson and Big Joe Williams, his nickname Hacksaw came from a hacksaw, which he carried in his tool box with him. In the late 1960s,

Harney was rediscovered and he took in 1972 ten titles for the label Adelphi Records, released on the album Sweet Man. Harney played Piedmont fingerstyle blues mixed with ragtime influences similar to Blind Blake's. Most of his titles are up-tempo instrumental numbers, one year after his last recordings Harney died; he was buried in a poor grave at Raymond Cemetery in Raymond, Mississippi.