Musicians Day Jobs

Just back from a buying trip to Las Vegas, Levy says his view of blues explains how even a wealthy person, a happy person, can bring emotional fire to the venerable genre. To him, playing the blues is about reaching audiences. "There's nothing more rewarding," the harpist says, "than the feeling you get when you look into the faces of the people listening, the chance to affect a thousand people at once." And therefore, Levy says, nothing would make him happier than the chance to give up his day job. "I don't need a fortune to live on," he says. "I'd drop everything to play music full time.