|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
" Young artist, guitarist works to build audience "
|
By Norm Shaw
If there is in fact a blues revival going on, it is imperative there be young performers to continue the cause after the older folks are no longer with us. Ironically, some of the same people heralding the blues revival are the first to write off today's younger generation. The naysayers site a lack of credibility, authenticity or some other such nonsense. And one of the people they are quick to pick on is Corey Harris. Harris is a 27-year-old Denver native with a degree from Bates College in Maine. He didn't learn the blues sitting on a porch in the Delta. He learned the blues by listening to the music of his parents. And he learned well. His debut release on Alligator Records, Between Midnight and Day, is a remarkable record. Harris attacks the country blues with a strong voice and equally energetic guitar, adding up to one of the more exciting new faces to hit the blues in the past 10 years. "I first heard the blues around the house," he says from his sister's home in Washington, D.C. "Z.Z. Hill. Lighting Hopkins, B.B. King. And I was exposed to other music, too. Jazz records, funk records and R&B." Harris started playing the guitar at age 12 after five years on the trumpet. "Guitar at that time was just a lot cooler," he says. "I think what appealed to me first about acoustic blues was that I could work up my own repertoire and play by myself." Harris played throughout high school and college. At Bates College, he studied language, which led him to Cameroon in North Africa. He had recently purchased a resonator guitar, and he spent time in Africa took getting deeper into the blues. "It helped me develop as an artist," Harris says. "It made me more informed about the history of music." Harris returned to the States and went to work in Louisiana as a teacher. He spent many hours, though, playing on the streets of New Orleans, his home base when not on the road. And lately, all his time has been spent on the road. He recently finished a stint with alternative popster Natalie Merchant, and he will continue to increase his exposure when he opens for another alternative favorite, the Dave Matthews Band. "The response has been very good, very good," he says of his tour with Merchant. "They were big audiences, but I didn't let that bother me. The biggest were 12,000 to 15,000." Harris also will be spending time on the road with R.L. Burnside this fall, as well as making appearances at several festivals, including the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Ark., in October (see Page 8). Harris says he attended the King Biscuit Festival a couple of years ago, and he is looking forward to playing there. The Delta region and Memphis are specials places for him because of their history, an element never too far removed from Harris' thoughts. "Memphis is special because of its history," he says. "It is a hotspot for music culture. A lot of people fixate on Mississippi and Memphis because of what came out of there. It is so special. There was always something good coming out of this area in the 20th century." Harris says it is a "special honor" to be received well in the Delta because "the people there know what real music sounds like." Harris' long-term goal is to make sure today's young people get a chance to appreciate real music. While you might think a young artist with one record out and another on the way would only be interested in musical stardom, Harris remains much more centered helping others. He would like to open up center for children to teach them music history and help them build a strong foundation for the future. But for now, he remains on the road. His next record will still be predominately acoustic and solo, but he is branching out on a few tracks. The new record features the tuba player from the Rebirth Brass Band of New Orleans and fellow Louisiana resident Kenny Neal on harmonica. Basically, Harris is sticking to his own agenda and his own muse. "I'm going to keep writing songs that chronicle what black people face today," he says with conviction. "I want to keep it real and educate children through music. Music can inform us about who we are. It can be enriching. It makes things better." The same can be said for his music. Which gives Harris as much credibility as any musician, young or old, regardless of what critics may say.
|
