Rockford, Vermont, and a musical partnership
Gerry Hundt grew up in Rockford, Illinois, where radio listening introduced him to older blues alongside contemporary artists such as William Clarke, Gary Primich, Albert Collins, and Robert Cray. Seeing John Hammond perform when he was about twelve made a lasting impression. Hammond’s resonator guitar, harmonica, and emphatic foot-stomping suggested how one musician could create a complete performance. The memory would become important when Hundt later developed a solo act of his own.
At Middlebury College in Vermont, he began playing harmonica and studied guitar and theory with Paul Asbell. The lessons included fingerstyle playing and ear training as well as jazz ideas. College also brought him into contact with John-Alex Mason, who became a friend and musical partner. After a period working in New York as an electrician and carpenter, Hundt accepted Mason’s invitation to play shows in Colorado in 2001. They performed as a duo and made a Mason & Hundt album.
Colorado offered additional experience with the ClamDaddys and an opportunity to develop as a bassist. Back in the Midwest, Hundt’s ability to move between instruments helped him find a wider range of work. The individual skills were useful together: knowing the bass part changed how he heard rhythm guitar, and harmonica and mandolin offered different ways to phrase within a blues ensemble. His career would repeatedly draw on that practical flexibility.
Nick Moss, the Flip Tops, and blues mandolin
Hundt met Nick Moss while hosting a jam in Lakewood, Colorado, and toured and recorded with Moss and the Flip Tops from 2004 to 2009. His duties included bass, guitar, harmonica, and mandolin. He also contributed engineering work to the Blue Bella recording circle. Moss introduced him to Chicago musicians and recordings he had not previously known closely, including the mandolin playing of Johnny Young.
Young’s records encouraged Hundt to take the mandolin seriously. He bought an instrument from Tony Hager, initially tuned it like the upper strings of a guitar, and then returned to its usual fifths-based tuning when trying to follow Young’s music. That change made the phrasing clearer to him. He also recognized interval relationships familiar from harmonica. The mandolin became a distinct voice in his work, capable of supplying both rhythmic bite and lines that could cut through an electric band.
Since Way Back, issued by Blue Bella in 2007, made that instrument central to his first album as leader. The supporting musicians included Nick Moss, Willie Oshawny, Bill Lupkin, Josh Stimmel, Bob Carter, and guest pianist Barrelhouse Chuck. Songs included ‘Bad Water,’ ‘The Union Meetin’,’ ‘Here in Chicago,’ and ‘End of the Day Blues.’ The record led to Blues Music Award nominations in the instrumentalist-other category in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011, specifically associated with his mandolin work.
Building the Legendary One-Man Band
A move to northwest Indiana encouraged Hundt to develop a solo performance he could book locally between tours. At first he combined guitar and rack harmonica with a bass drum and hi-hat, later adding more percussion. He had seen Mason and guitarist Glenn Davis use similar approaches, and the earlier Hammond concert remained a reference. Regular restaurant, tavern, and farmers’ market engagements gave him time to refine the coordination and choose material that worked in the format.
A compact Farmer FootDrum setup simplified the equipment and allowed more sensitive snare-brush playing. The change also encouraged him toward acoustic guitar. He described guitar and drums as the elements that had to remain locked together, leaving harmonica or kazoo freer to carry a melody. The coordination was part of the arrangement: a guitar phrase had to remain compatible with what his feet were doing, particularly when he was also singing.
Gerry Hundt’s Legendary One-Man Band appeared in 2015. Recorded live in his home studio, the fifteen-track album included nine originals. ‘Market Morning Reel,’ ‘Stompin’ & Shoutin’,’ ‘Broadway Boogie,’ and ‘Broke Down’ shared space with older songs, including Jimmy Rogers’ ‘Goin’ Away Baby.’ Fingerpicked guitar, banjo, harmonica, and percussion gave different pieces different characters. The closing medley of ‘I Shall Not Be Moved’ and ‘I’ll Fly Away’ brought gospel melodies into the same personal performance language.
Corey Dennison and the Dig 3
Hundt began working regularly with Corey Dennison in 2013 after their paths crossed in northwest Indiana. Dennison invited him to play rhythm guitar, and the group developed through clubs, festivals, and a sustained schedule of shows. Their self-titled Delmark album arrived in 2016, followed by Night After Night in 2017. Hundt contributed to the writing and recording process. He recalled the second project taking shape amid a demanding schedule that included returning from Scandinavia, playing Chicago engagements, and then entering the studio.
During the pandemic, Hundt joined Andrew Duncanson and Ronnie Shellist in the Dig 3. The musicians had worked together in other contexts, including recording projects around Blue Bella. Initially they played together for online audiences; a studio day then led to a full release. Their self-titled debut appeared in 2022, followed by Damn the Rent. Hundt supplied the combined rhythmic role developed in his solo act beneath Duncanson’s guitar and vocals and Shellist’s harmonica.
The band’s arrangements grew collaboratively around Duncanson’s songs. The project also expanded into other formats, including a duo with Duncanson, a larger Dig 3 BIG lineup, and a version with pianist Lee Kanehira. For Hundt, those configurations made the one-man-band skill part of an ensemble vocabulary. He could create a rhythmic base without requiring every performance to use the same number of players or the same balance of instruments.
Trio recordings and an expanding repertoire
The Gerry Hundt Trio’s Get Hip! appeared in 2024, recorded live in a Luxembourg studio with bassist Daniel Fastro and drummer Tom Lehnert. Hundt’s own roles included vocals, guitar, harmonica, and mandolin. In a 2024 interview he described becoming more open to influences outside blues while retaining a strong interest in recording. His stated priority was an emotionally clear performance, with technical ability serving the expression of a song.
One More for Me, reviewed in September 2026, continued the Luxembourg connection with Lehnert and bassist and harmonica player Renaud Lesire. Its ten songs included the Bo Diddley-inspired instrumental ‘Pimenta,’ Eddie C. Campbell’s ‘Runnin’ Wild,’ and a new version of ‘End of the Day Blues.’ Mandolin returned on material associated with Tampa Red and Johnny Young, while ‘Ruby Doobie’ brought together two harmonicas. The selection connected his earlier recording career with the instruments and colleagues occupying his more recent trio work.
Across these projects, Hundt has maintained a relationship between live performance and recording. The mandolin band, acoustic solo act, Dennison ensemble, Dig 3, and European trio each solve a different musical problem. Together they show a career shaped by listening, arranging, and the willingness to take whichever instrumental role helps a group function.