Drew Harrison

“Harrison's ability to connect with his audience is quite amazing. His delivery has the power to touch listeners in a way you may not think possible.”

Beth Peerless, Reporter - Monterey Herald


“... A very talented musician with an amazing voice. I enjoyed him very much.”

Bonnie Raitt, Recording Artist


“Drew has a great voice.”

Bob Brown, Manager – Huey Lewis and the News


“Drew Harrison belongs to those singers/songwriters that insert all the energy they've got into their music and because he is so talented all his endeavors finally pay off - his album "Go It Alone" is a testimonial to that.”

Stephan Petersen, Music Writer – Bay-Area-Bands.com


“Drew Harrison is dynamic, entertaining and he draws you in. If you hear him performing his original work you are entranced by his storytelling and passion. If you see him perform his Lennon tribute, you feel like you’re in the room with John.”

Steve Keyser, Music Promoter – SK Productions


“I LOVE Go It Alone! Drew is the man!”

Chris Jackson, Producer – The Greg Kihn Show, KFOX 98.5 FM

- Various Sources

by graham haworth

Sentinel correspondent

There are lots of Beatles tribute bands out there, groups who not only learn the songs note for note, but who also put on moptop wigs, suits and pointy-toed boots and play Rickenbacker guitars.

But one of the best tribute bands out there focuses on the music, eschewing playing dress-up in favor of capturing the vibe of the Beatles' songs. That group is the Sun Kings, and their lead singer/guitarist Drew Harrison could easily play the part of John Lennon without a costume.

Perhaps it's because Harrison found the Beatles and Lennon at an early and influential time in his life.

"My family was falling apart, and like a lot of kids, I turned to music," said Harrison. "I got turned on to Lennon at just the right time, around 12 or 13, and his lyrics were schooling. They gave me a philosophy, if you will. I was questioning my religion and my family. I fell in love with the songs, they were the direction I wasn't getting from my family"

Harrison grew up in an Irish-Catholic household in New York during the 1970s listening to Lennon's solo career progress. He was familiar with the Beatles because they were everywhere while he was a young child. It wasn't until his tumultuous teens that Harrison gained enough maturity to really appreciate why the Beatles songs, and in particular Lennon's, spoke to him.

"He's direct and he's understandable," Harrison said of why he's so drawn to Lennon's songs. "His songs became like mantras to me, they opened up people and ideas to me outside of music. I discovered Gandhi and Martin Luther King through John Lennon"

In fact, Harrison credited the direct influence of Lennon when he received his degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from UC Berkeley last May.

Harrison also appreciates the way Lennon handled his stardom. Instead of retreating from public view like Elvis Presley did, Lennon used his fame to speak out on issues of the day becoming as much a social activist as a rock star.

"Lennon knew that the media was going to follow him around no matter what he said or did, so he decided to do something good with it, to take advantage of it to further causes he believed in," said Harrison. "Nowadays, more than ever, people are looking for that again because the government isn't responsive, and pop stars just aren't what they used to be.

"I guess I have a slight agenda in putting on this show, but I don't care if people just sit back and listen to the music"

After all, John Lennon was a musician first and foremost.


New Year's ritual

For 30 years, Drew Harrison has had a New Year's Eve ritual.

"At midnight every year, without fail, wherever I am in the world, I play or listen to 'Imagine.' It's such a perfect song to bring in a new year with. Sometimes I take a break from the party and go listen to it on my Walkman. One year, I played it on a piano at some bar in Europe. Last year I was watching Anderson Cooper on TV, and they used 'Imagine' as they showed the ball dropping in New York City. I smiled"







- Santa Cruz Sentinel

Going back to my teenage years, I think seeing the Beatles perform twice were some of my fondest memories. I wasn't about to let the opportunity to see Drew Harrison perform his "In the Spirit of Lennon" show at the El Campanil Theatre pass me by.
Smiling, friendly theater volunteers greeted us this weekend, making certain we knew where our seats were. Sitting in the fifth row, center orchestra, I noticed some people looking up appreciatively at the ornate ceiling. People of all ages filed in: families with children in tow, middle-aged couples, older ones. Not surprisingly, the Beatles' music obviously still has a hold on many fans.

On the empty stage stood a round table containing two bottles of water, along with a stool, guitar, music stand and microphone. When the lights dimmed, the blank white screen at the back of the stage came alive with grainy, black-and-white photos of a young John Lennon with family members, and then progressed to early shots of him and his fellow Beatles. Harrison (an ironic last name, I thought!) came out carrying another guitar. Dressed in a brown floral shirt and jeans, he donned tinted, wire-rimmed glasses to add to the Lennon aura. Many in the audience whistled and cheered before he even spoke a word.

Sharing with the audience his admiration not only of Lennon's talent as a writer-musician but a philosopher, he launched into a two-and-a-half hour trip back in time. As he requested our "help" to begin the evening, audience members chuckled knowingly. The song, of course, was "Help."

Following that, the rest of the first half of his show included Beatles songs from albums I knew quite well, ranging from "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" and the quirky "Norwegian Wood," through "In My Life," "Nowhere Man," "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Revolution."

Before beginning "Dear Prudence," he explained that he had first heard the song as a youngster in New Jersey, participating in a summer recreation program. That particular song, he said, marked his foray into performing as a DJ for the recreational program. "Across the Universe" closed the first half of the evening.

As the screen projected images of a mature, bearded Lennon, Harrison came back out, this time wearing a simple black T-shirt. He devoted this latter portion of the show to Lennon's solo career, including songs that marked the late singer's transformation into a social activist. "How Do You Sleep" (written as a response to his feud with Paul McCartney), "Gimme Some Truth" (a reaction to Richard Nixon's White House), "Old Dirt Road" (written in the presence of Harry Nilsson), the cynically hurting "I'm Losing You," "Beautiful Boy" (a tribute to his and Yoko Ono's son, Sean), transported the audience as we sang along. The universally optimistic anthem "Imagine" brought grateful applause and produced another sing-along.

- Contra Costa Times