Corey Harris Band
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Corey Harris Band

Waynesboro, Virginia, United States | Established. Jan 01, 1996 | MAJOR

Waynesboro, Virginia, United States | MAJOR
Established on Jan, 1996
Band Blues Roots

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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Press


"Corey Harris"

"Corey Harris has absorbed American country blues traditions and plays them as authentically and powerfully as anyone on the scene today. He has also explored the African guitar styles on which much of the blues was based, and on this remarkable instructional session he teaches songs and instrumentals that bridge the gap between the two cultures. Corey starts by teaching two blues in C:. Tuning to open E, Corey gives you a detailed lesson in slide guitar. Skip James' compelling Special Rider Blues, with its unusual open E minor tuning, reflects the crossover between American blues and African musical style. Corey then goes into two tunes he learned in Mali that reflect both blues and African sounds: the warm, peaceful fingerstyle tune Bajourou (“Big String�) from Ali Farka Touré and the flatpicking instrumental Sundiata by Mohamed Koyute. "
- Amazon Press Release, Amazon.com - Amazon.com


"Corey Harris"

An acoustic harmonica-guitar blues duo who are uniquely able to showcase the synthesis of African and European elements that co-exist in the blues, Phil Wiggins & Corey Harris are among the most dynamic live blues musicians of our time. They represent the next generation of blues musicians, simultaneously steeped in the tradition while bringing a renewed vitality and creativity to the genre. This new partnership is a must-hear! "
- PineCone Press Release, PineCone Concerts - PineCone Concerts


"Corey Harris"

" “A winning singer with an easy charm, Harris shines here on songs (most of them were co-written with keyboardist and producer Chris ‘Peanut’ Whitley) like ‘King and Queen’ (a duet with Davina Jackson), the straight-out-of-Kingston-sounding ‘Conquering Lion,’ the sunny skanking ‘Run Around Girl,’ and a moving, stark solo version of Burning Spear’s ‘Columbus.’ It all goes down easy, and Harris’ naturally positive tone makes this album yet another treat from this gifted musician.” All Music"
- All Music - All Music


"Corey Harris"

"Corey Harris - Teaches Blues Guitar from Mississippi to Mali Corey Harris has absorbed American country blues traditions and plays them as authentically and powerfully as anyone on the scene today. He has also explored the African guitar styles on which much of the blues was based, and on this remarkable instructional session he teaches songs and instrumentals that bridge the gap between the two cultures. Corey starts by teaching two blues in C: High Fever Blues, his original based on old Charlie Patton/Tommy Johnson style blues, and Blind Blake's more rag-like C. C. Pill Blues. Tuning to open E, Corey gives you a detailed lesson in slide guitar. He covers the traditional Jack o' Diamonds and his original King Cotton, both with improvised variations. Skip James' compelling Special Rider Blues, with its unusual open E minor tuning, reflects the crossover between American blues and African musical style...(click link to see more) "
- Faststrings.com (Jul 20, 2010) - Faststrings.com


"Corey Harris"

" In 2007, Corey Harris was awarded a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship – commonly referred to as a “genius award” – from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The annual grant, which recognizes individuals from a wide range of disciplines who show creativity, originality and commitment to continued innovative work, described Harris as an artist who “forges an adventurous path marked by deliberate eclecticism.” That same year, he was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Bates College, in Lewiston, Maine. "
- Staff Writer, Concorde Music Group - Concorde Music Group


"Corey Harris"

"A restless explorer of roots music, the guitarist, vocalist and songwriter continues to examine African-American art, history and culture in 14 mostly blues and reggae songs. Enlisting producer and keyboardist Chris ‘Peanut’ Whitley, Harris tells a variety of tales in his tunes, from the uplifting ‘So Good to Me,’ about the joys of finding a soulmate, to the darker reality on ‘Pimps and Thieves.’” USA Today"
- USA Today - USA Today


"Corey Harris"

" “The songs celebrate blackness, freedom and empowerment, and they’re against Babylon and colonialism. Even love is high-minded and dignified. Harris’ performances make it all less pro forma than that description sounds, though. He doesn’t sing the songs as spirituals, but he’s soulful in a way that connotes both passion for life and a higher purpose.” OffBeat"
- OffBeat Magazine - OffBeat Magazine


"Corey Harris"

"“Corey Harris has always been a student of the cultural and eclectic themes found in the blues, and this record expands these studies. It’s a mixture of blues, reggae, contemporary soul and gospel, as they pertain to the African-American culture, both past and present. Done primarily with guitar, bass, drums, and keys, (the keyboard work ably handled by producer Chris Whitley) this set presents each song as a story unto itself, and, when woven together, presents us with a ‘musical map’ of sorts, that tells us where we’ve been, musically speaking, as well as charting a course for the future…Corey Harris embodies the very culture of the blues itself. In blu.black, he shows us how the blues is the root of many varied styles of music, and how they are all indeed related.” Nashville Blues Society"
- Nashville Blues Society - Nashville Blues Society


"Corey Harris"

"“Corey Harris’ blu.black follows up on his critically-acclaimed 2007 collection, Zion Crossroads with a sound as unique as the artist himself. Harris uses Mississippi Delta blues as a starting point, adding in layers of Southern gospel, reggae and other Caribbean sounds, and the rhythms of Africa. The result is an invigorating blend of cultures and styles, a blues-based world music, if you will. Harris is also a natural born storyteller, and blu.black features its share of finely-crafted tales. Harris uses his invigorating musical smorgasbord as a soundtrack for his epic lyrical attempt to connect the stories of African-Americans of centuries ago with the Black experience today.” About.com"
- About.com - About.com


"Corey Harris"

"COREY HARRIS SINGS THE BLUES with astonishing conviction. Harris was one of a handful of artists who kept the acoustic blues revival rolling onward in the ’90s, but as his career progressed, he began to reach beyond North American blues styles to study and record African and Jamaican music. Recordings like Mississippi to Mali (2003) and Zion Crossroads (2007) mixed reggae- and African-style tracks with the American blues tradition. At the heart of Harris’s music and studies lies the interconnectedness that Harris finds between various styles of music rooted in the African diaspora, which contributed to his earning a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 2007. On his most recent release, Blu.Black, Harris had a handful of songs co-written with Harris’s reggae-influenced producer and bandmate, Chris “Peanut” Whitley. "
- Andrew DuBrock, Acoustic Magazine (Dec 17, 2010) - Acoustic Magazine


"Corey Harris"

"“Each time I receive a Corey Harris release means a new musical path for me to travel. His worldwide travels and his degree in anthropology translates into new discoveries with each of his offerings. Corey Harris’ new release, blu. black (Telarc), is what I would call World Blues. blu. black has influences from the Mississippi Delta, Africa, the Caribbean, Southern gospel and reggae. This unique blend is very enjoyable and in my mind an extension to his Zion Crossroads (2007). True blues lovers will find his work to be creative and mind-expanding. blu. black is top shelf in all aspects.” - Planet Weekly (Tuscaloosa, AL)"
- Planet Weekly (Tuscaloosa,AL.) - Planet Weekly


"Corey Harris"

"“Generally, Corey Harris is regarded as a bluesman. In that the 40-year-old singer/guitarist/songwriter has released a wealth of blues and blues-inflected music in his 14-year recording career, that’s an understandable assumption. But Harris has long spiced his eclectic brand of blues with musical flavors from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, New Orleans and elsewhere. His 1999 release Greens From the Garden ranged across a variety of styles and even dabbled in hip-hop, while 2007’s Zion Crossroads was richly suffused with a reggae vibe. Now comes the Colorado native’s ninth release overall and second for the Telarc label, blu.black, a collection of 13 blues- and reggae-flavored originals complemented by one Burning Spear cover.” "
- Jazziz.Com - Jazziz.com


"Corey Harris"

"“Corey Harris has spent most of his decade-plus career studying and exploring various musical traditions, particular folk forms in the U.S., the Caribbean, and Africa. With his latest album, blu.black, he says he ‘wanted to express [his] love for great black music’. In doing so, he’s created a disc highlighting a range of genres, from straight-up blues to reggae to R&B to tracks that display the influence of all these worlds."
- PopMatters - PopMatters


Discography

Between Midnight And Day-1995
Fish Ain't Bitin-1997
Greens From The Garden-1999
Vu-Du-Menz-2000
Downhome Sophisticated-2002
Mississippi To Mali-2003
Daily Bread-2005
Zion Crossroads-2007
Blu Black-2009
DC Blues-2010
Father Sun,Mother Earth-2012
Fulton Blues - 2013
Corey Harris & The Rasta Blues Experience Live -2013

Photos

Bio

Corey Harris was born in Denver, Colorado to parents from Texas and Kentucky. He is a guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and band leader who has carved out his own niche in blues. A powerful singer and accomplished guitarist, he has appeared at venues throughout the North America, Europe, Brazil, The Caribbean, West Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
He began his career as a New Orleans street singer, travelling throughout the southern U.S. In his early twenties he lived in Cameroon, West Africa for a year, which had a profound effect on his later work. He has recorded many old songs of the blues tradition while also creating an original vision of the blues by adding influences from reggae, soul, rock and West African music. His 1995 recording, Between Midnight and Day, is a tribute to the tradition of acoustic blues. Subsequent recordings, such as Greens From the Garden (1999), Mississippi to Mali (2003), and Daily Bread (2005) show Harris’ maturation from interpreter to songwriter. Some of his imaginative compositions are marked by a deliberate eclecticism; other works stay true to the traditional blues formula of compelling vocals and down-home guitar. With one foot in tradition and the other in contemporary experimentation, Harris is a truly unique voice in contemporary music.

He has performed, recorded, and toured with many of the top names in music such as BB King, Taj Mahal, Buddy Guy, Henry Butler, R.L.Burnside, John Jackson, Ali Farka Toure, Dave Mattews Band, Tracy Chapman, Olu Dara, Wilco, Natalie Merchant, and others. His additional recordings include Fish Ain’t Bitin’ (1996), Vu-Du Menz (with Henry Butler, 2000), Downhome Sophisticate (2002), and Zion Crossroads (2008),blu black ( 2009 ),DC Blues (2010),Father Sun,Mother Earth (2012),Fulton Blues (2013),Corey Harris Band Live (2015).
In 2003 Harris was a featured artist and narrator of the Martin Scorcese film, “Feel Like Going Home,” which traced the evolution of blues from West Africa to the southern U.S. In 2007, he was awarded a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship – commonly referred to as a “genius award” – from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The annual grant, which recognizes individuals from a wide range of disciplines who show creativity, originality and commitment to continued innovative work, described Harris as an artist who “forges an adventurous path marked by deliberate eclecticism.” That same year, he was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Bates College, in Lewiston, Maine.