Biography of Corey Harris

Corey Harris is a deliberate musical anachronism. In 1994 at the age of 25, he cut his first album, Between Midnight and Day, displaying a style of acoustic playing that crossed paths with Charley Patton and Robert Johnson, the Delta slide of Son House and Bukka White, and the Piedmont-style rags of Blind Boy Fuller. His music also reflects some of the influence of his New Orleans residence. And he makes it all work under one cover. In contrast to most of the white players (excepting John Hammond, who is a unique figure) who have adopted these or other antique blues styles, Harris' approach to the blues is more inspirational than scholarly, which lends a certain honest, direct urgency and emotional involvement to his music, whether he is performing songs by Patton, White, Fred McDowell, or Sleepy John Estes, or presenting an original of his own. He also has one of the richest and most expressive voices of any bluesman working. Fish Ain't Bitin' was the next release, and although it didn't recieve the same sort of critical notices, it was still a success with fans. Two years later saw Greens From the Garden, a landmark record that is often referred to as his best work. Filled with the sort of passionate blues work that he is known for, the album was huge in the genre and made Harris a big name in the blues community. 2000 saw the release of Vu-Du Menz, another great album that continued to keep his name in the blues world, and a year later the similar Downhome Sophisticate found its way to store shelves. ~ Bruce Eder