Joy Keys chats with Musician Frederic Yonnet

Born in Normandy, France, to a Parisian father and French Guyanese Creole mother, Yonnet lived in and around Paris most of his life. As a child, he and his dad performed comedy in theaters throughout France. After a short stint as a drummer, Yonnet revisited an instrument he’d received as a child: the harmonica.

His impressive style has led to performances, tours and recordings with some of the heaviest hitters in the business including the legendary Stevie Wonder, music icon Prince, award-winning songwriter David Foster, game-changing instrumentalist Kenny G, American Idol’s Randy Jackson, and R&B artists Erykah Badu, the Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, Indie.Arie, and John Legend. Rolling Stone magazine referred to Yonnet as “Prince’s killer harmonica player” and praise from comedian Dave Chappelle, contemporary jazzman Bob James, songstress Patti Austin and producer Pharrell Williams have affirmed his mission to change the way the music industry, musicians and enthusiasts regard the pocketsize reed instrument.

These days, the U.S.-based Yonnet travels with pedal boards, mixers, amps, microphones and more than 50 diatonic harmonicas. “I’m pretty intense on the harmonica and I like to have the ‘sharpest ax’ at all times.” And he’s not afraid to wield it. There aren’t many musicians who would go tête-à-tête with Stevie Wonder on the harmonica, but Yonnet has proved himself more than capable.