“Mr. H” Holger “Max Halsted” W. Wollert obituary
Farewell to Mr. H, who was a big presence in the fight to save the old Maxwell Street Market in the 1990s. Our board member Steve Balkin writes: “I am sad to report that my good friend and Maxwell St. Blues legend Mr. H. has passed way in Arkansas, where he retired to. Mr. H was crucial in the fight to try to save Old Maxwell St. and played at almost all the protest Blues jams held on the street. He brought musicians there and was always kind to them. He sang and played the harmonica and once in a while took solos on the Stratazooki, the wooden kids’ toy violin that Tyner White invented. I enjoyed trying to speak German with him when he was on breaks. H grew up near Old Maxwell St. and hung out many hours there, at times living there as a squatter in abandoned buildings. He will be missed, but will be a soulful voice and harp addition to the Blues jams in the celestial spheres.”