Corey Harris
| Corey Harris | |
|---|---|
 Corey Harris @ Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival (2003) |
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| Background information | |
| Born | February 21, 1969 Denver, Colorado, United States |
| Genres | Blues, delta blues, reggae |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Alligator, Rounder, Telarc |
| Website | Official website |
Corey Harris (born February 21, 1969, Denver, Colorado) is an American blues and reggae musician, currently residing in Virginia. Along with Keb' Mo' and Alvin Youngblood Hart, he raised the flag of acoustic guitar blues in the mid 1990s.[1] He was featured on the 2003 PBS television mini-series, The Blues, in an episode directed by Martin Scorsese.
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[edit] Biography
Harris was born and raised near Denver, Colorado. He graduated from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine with a Bachelors Degree in 1991, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2007. Harris received a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for language studies in Cameroon in his early twenties, before taking a teaching post in Napoleonville, Louisiana under the Teach For America program.[1][2] On his debut solo album Between Midnight and Day (1995) he investigated the repertoire of Charlie Patton, Booker White, Fred McDowell, Muddy Waters and Sleepy John Estes.[1]
In 2002, Harris collaborated with Ali Farka Toure on his album, Mississippi to Mali, fusing blues and Toure's music from northern Mali. In 2003, he contributed to the Northern Blues release, Johnny's Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash.
Harris has lived and traveled widely in West Africa, an influence that has permeated much of his work. Harris has toured extensively throughout Europe, Canada, West Africa, Japan and Australia. He is known for his solo acoustic work as well as his electric band, formerly known as the '5 x 5'.
He helped Billy Bragg and Wilco to write the music for "Hoodoo Voodoo" on Mermaid Avenue, an album consisting entirely of songs for which the lyrics were written by the late Woody Guthrie. He also appeared as a musician on the album and its sequel, Mermaid Avenue Vol. II.
In September, 2007 The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced that Harris was among 24 people named MacArthur Fellows for 2007. The Fellowship, worth $500,000, is payable over five years.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Solo
- 1995 Between Midnight and Day (Alligator)
- 1997 Fish Ain't Bitin (Alligator)
- 1999 Greens from the Garden (Alligator)
- 2000 Vu-Du Menz (Alligator)
- 2001 Live at Starr Hill (Njumba)
- 2002 Downhome Sophisticate (Rounder)
- 2003 Mississippi to Mali (Rounder)
- 2005 Daily Bread (Rounder)
- 2007 Zion Crossroads (Telarc)
- 2009 blu.black (Telarc)
[edit] Contributions To Others
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. pp. 116–117. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
- ^ Bates College website
- ^ Harris contributes his version of "Redemption", originally 111found on Cash's American Recordings.
