Corey Harris comes to Orcas Center next Friday, Nov. 8
Friday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. Pre-concert Burgers & Brew from the Lower Tavern in the Madrona Room starting at 6 p.m.
Corey Harris, one of today’s most daring and innovative acoustic blues player, is coming to Orcas Center on Friday, November 8 at 7:30 pm. Before the concert, starting at 6:00 pm, dig in to Burgers & Brew from the Lower Tavern in the Madrona Room.
Corey Harris, along with Keb’ Mo’ and Alvin Youngblood Hart, raised the flag of acoustic guitar blues in the mid-1990s. With one foot in tradition and the other in experimentation, Harris is a truly unique voice in contemporary music. As a musical adventurer, Harris can be compared with Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder. His pure Delta blues style first gained notice with a pure Delta for his straightforward lyrics and fantastic acoustic slide playing. As his following grew, he began incorporating Creole and reggae influences.
Corey Harris 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. 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.
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.
“Fulton Blues,” Corey Harris’ new collection of both original and classic material, celebrates the timeless sound of traditional blues with fresh, insightful lyrics that paint an unflinching picture of life in the American South, both then and now. “Simply put, this album is a modern blues masterpiece. Not having this in your collection would be akin to not owning any Robert Johnson, Son House, or Mississippi John Hurt.” American Blues Scene
“As comfortable and low-key as a Sunday afternoon family jam session. Sweet and intimate. Harris is a new talent with a very old soul.” Seattle Post Intelligencer
“Harris is the authentic article; the real keeper of the Delta flame.”
