Frédéric Yonnet

In 2014, Wonder tapped Yonnet to perform harmonica parts on the Songs in the Key of Life Tour, 2014–15. Wonder performed the entire double album as part of the 44-city tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of the most critically acclaimed album of his career. Performing on the tunes, "Have a Talk with God" and "Mama's Call", Yonnet demonstrated his mastery of the diatonic harmonica by expertly mimicking the chromatic melody Wonder originally performed on the studio album.

In 2010, in a pioneering effort that combined technology, art and reality, Yonnet halted all aspects of production on his most recent project – recording, packaging and video – to give fans access to the raw and rough cuts of his work at various stages of the creative process. Yonnet coined the term "Reality CD" to describe the bold concept of allowing fans to observe key phases of the production. Yonnet's work in progress, subtitled The Rough Cut, is available exclusively to fans purchasing digital download cards at live concerts and online. A unique code gives users access to The Rough Cut files. Email alerts announce when new material is available for download. Comments posted to the website will be considered in the subsequent Reed My Lips: The Final Mix, releasing in 2011 and eventually available on iTunes.

After hearing Yonnet's music, comedian Dave Chappelle invited him to make guest appearances during Chappelle's 10-city Block Party Concert tour in 2006. Later that year, Yonnet, along with Erykah Badu and Goapele, were invited to perform at the AACW Blues Festival (Yellow Springs, Ohio) hosted by Chappelle.

During Chappelle's introduction of Yonnet at Bluesfest, he tells the story of how he introduced Yonnet to Stevie Wonder when they were backstage at the 2006 Grammy Awards. "[Fred] pulled his harmonica out of his pocket in front of Stevie Wonder and I said 'Damn', and he started playing that harmonica, I was scared for him… and Stevie started doing like this, [swaying back and forth] now they hang out every Tuesday and Thursday."

In 1998, while performing at the Cannes Film Festival, Yonnet met several Americans who encouraged him to showcase his talent in the United States. In 2001, Yonnet moved to Washington, DC, where he performed in area festivals and clubs, quickly developing a reputation as a "genre-bending" harmonica player. He released a sampler CD titled Blowing Your Mind in Every Key of the Harp, which comprised five tracks, including "Amazing Grace" recorded live at the West Angeles Church of God in Christ, Los Angeles, CA. Six additional songs were added to the sampler CD and it was ultimately renamed and released in 2005 as Front & Center.

Frédéric Yonnet (born 30 April 1973) is a French musician, producer and recording artist who is best known for his use of the harmonica as a lead in jazz, R&B, funk, gospel and hip-hop influenced music. His ability to play chromatic scales on a diatonic harmonica gives him access to twice as many notes as the instrument is designed to deliver.

Yonnet exclusively plays 1847 Classic and Silver harmonicas, designed by C. A. Seydel Söhne, the oldest harmonica manufacturer in the world. Yonnet plays his harmonicas straight out of the box and they are not customized. He used Shure Beta 87A microphones and Ultimate Ears 11 Pro and UE reference monitors.