@tuberist, if you want to discover a really, really good though relatively unknown (outside of Northern California) harp player, look for a copy of Up The Line by The Gary Smith Blues Band. His tone is insane, as good as I've ever heard, which is based on Little Walter and Musselwhite, with whom Gary studied.
Gary is a well-known fixture in the Bay Area Blues scene, and always has a great band backing him. I played with him briefly, right after he switched from drums to harp. He's a monster, and Up The Line is a very good pure Blues album.