Born in Denver, CO on February 21, 1969, Corey Harris got his first taste of the blues via his mother’s collection of Lightnin’ Hopkins records. He first picked up the guitar at age 12, and at the same time developed his singing abilities in church choirs. By high school, he was playing in rock bands.

An Anthropology major at Bates College in Maine, Harris traveled to Camaroon to study African linguistics, and returned there a couple years later on a post-graduate fellowship. During these visits, he soaked up as much African music as possible, entranced by its complex polyrhythms.

After returning to the U.S., Harris taught English and French in Napoleonville, LA, and spent his spare time playing in the clubs, coffeehouses and street corners of nearby New Orleans. He quickly developed a local reputation that earned him a record deal with the Alligator label, where he released his solo acoustic1995 debut album, Between Midnight and Day, a recording that showcased his mastery of numerous variations on the delta blues style. This first outing earned high marks from the critics – enough to score a high-profile opening slot on tour with Natalie Merchant.

Harris followed up with Fish Ain’t Bitin’ in 1997, an album that featured more original material than the previous recording and took him beyond the confines of traditional blues by enlisting a New Orleans-style brass section on several tracks. Two years later, he released the even stronger set, Greens from the Garden, a mix of original and cover material that added layers of funk, R&B, reggae and hip-hop to his already solid blues foundation.

Pianist Henry Butler’s appearance on Greens served as a segue to Vu-Du Menz, a Harris-Butler collaboration released in 2000. This jazz-influenced recording marked the end of Harris’ tenure on Alligator, and he moved to Rounder for the 2002 release of Downhome Sophisticate, an album that added layers of African and Latin music to Harris’ ever-expanding palette.

In addition to his work in the recording studio, Harris also made a foray into filmmaking when he appeared in the Martin Scorsese documentary, Feel Like Going Home, an installment in the blues series that aired on PBS in 2003. In the film, Harris explores African-American blues on a journey that begins in the ..Mississippi.. delta and eventually takes him to Mali, where he discovers still more layers of African music to add to his repertoire. Harris returned to Mali, a few months later to record the aptly titled Mississippi to Mali, a late 2003 release that mirrors the Scorsese film by seamlessly welding traditional African music and African-American blues.

The artistic and critical success continued in 2005 with Daily Bread, an album that synthesized various shades and dimensions of African and African-America music – blues, reggae, ska and even rap.

Zion Crossroads, Harris’ 2007 recording on Telarc, a division of Concord Music Group, was a reggae-flavored set that reflected his travels to Ethiopia during the prior year.

In 2007, Harris was awarded a 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, his alma mater in Lewiston, Maine.

Harris shifts his focus to more traditional American blues and related styles with the September 29, 2009, release of blu.black, a collection of fourteen original songs – primarily blues and reggae, but with generous doses of other genres – that examine the African-American story of earlier centuries and connect it to the present day and future generations.

“I always deal with Africa and the blues and roots on my records,” he says. “Those have been my primary themes throughout most of my career. On this record, I wanted to express my love for great black music, and demonstrate that love in original song form. It’s the same goal I’ve been pursuing for some time – to make original music and try to educate people in the process.”

COREY HARRIS EXPLORES BLUE AND BLACK,

AND ALL THE SHADES IN BETWEEN

blu.black due in stores September 29, 2009

More than just a blues musician, Corey Harris is a seeker of the countless historical and cultural truths locked within the music. For more than a decade, the guitarist-vocalist-songwriter has dug for the deepest and truest essence of the blues, reggae, gospel and other roots music by examining and celebrating their origins in various and diverse cultural centers – Africa, the Caribbean, Appalachia, Europe and beyond.

Zion Crossroads, Harris’ 2007 recording on Telarc – a division of Concord Music Group – was a reggae-flavored set that reflected his travels to Ethiopia during the prior year. Blues Revue editor Kenneth Bays called the album “an astounding record – musically rich, instrumentally diverse, and bursting at the seams with the spirit of African tradition.” Global Rhythm called it “one of the most vibrant reggae albums to be released this year.”

But the honors and the accolades have come from sources beyond just the music press. 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, his alma mater in Lewiston, Maine.

The intersection of art, history and culture remains at the center of Harris’ work with the Telarc release of blu.black on September 29, 2009. blu.black is a collection of fourteen original songs – primarily blues and reggae, but with generous doses of other genres – that examine the African-American story of earlier centuries and connect it to the present day and future generations.

“There’s a blues song at the end of the sequence that’s simply called ‘Blues,’ and a song at the beginning called ‘Black,’” Harris says of the range of material on the recording. “The record is both of those things and everything in between. All the styles in all those songs represent everything between blue and black.”

Harris approached blu.black with the idea of making a record as live and organic – and at the same time as richly layered and relevant – as possible. Throughout the sessions, the emphasis was always more on the thematic and less on the technical aspects of the project. “I always deal with ..Africa.. and the blues and roots on my records,” he says. “Those have been my primary themes throughout most of my career. On this record, I wanted to express my love for great black music, and demonstrate that love in original song from. It’s the same goal I’ve been pursuing for some time – to make original music and try to educate people in the process."

But the commitment to crafting a richly layered recording doesn’t necessarily require excessive production. “I didn’t want a busy record,” says Harris, who enlisted the services of producer and keyboardist Chris “Peanut” Whitley. “I think this record proves that you can have minimal instrumentation and still express a lot of different ideas. I wanted to have each song be basically a combination of keyboards, bass, drum and guitar – or in some cases, guitar only. I didn’t want a bunch of different guest artists and a full horn section. Even though the music has variety, the sound is consistent throughout. This was recorded all at the same time, in the same studio, with the same people on each track. You can make a record with heart and soul without adding a lot of bells and whistles.”

The album opens with “Black,” a song whose combination of arrangement and tempo suggests the soul music of the early 1970s, but also includes an interlude of rap that gives it a more contemporary spin. “Black” is immediately followed by “My Song,” a track that leans more toward gospel, with the help of two backing vocalists – twin sisters Davina and Davita Jackson. “I was very pleased with how the vocals turned out on this song,” says Harris. “I’ve worked with the Jacksons.... a number of times over the years – since about 2001 – and they always bring an inspirational dimension to my music.”

Further into the set, “Babylon Walls” plunges headlong into reggae, with lyrics that herald the coming of Judgment Day and all of the worldly evils that will meet their demise in the final accounting.

“So Good To Me” is a breezy track that celebrates the virtues of a simple life and a good companion. “I came up with the chord progression, and I liked it, but I really didn’t know what words to put to it,” says Harris. “It took me a long time to get the words together. In the end, the song feels like a plant that I grew over the course of many months. Other songs just sprout up overnight, but this was one that I had to pay attention to. But I put in the work and it paid off, and I was happy with the result.”

On a darker note, “Pimps and Thieves” paints a grim picture of the entertainment industry and all of its inherent dead ends, with ominous accents and fills provided by saxophonist Gordon Jones. The tone shifts to something a bit more lighthearted a couple tracks later with the island backbeat of “Run Around Girl.”

In the final stretch, “Every Time I Look at You” is a heartfelt devotional built on an elastic tempo, while “Blues” is exactly what the title suggests – a slow 12-bar shuffle that brings the set to a churning close.

Each song on blu.black is its own story, says Harris, and all of the stories heard as a whole provide a map whereby we can reconnect to our individual and collective histories. “The story that I want to tell is that we who have had the experience of coming from parents who came from the south, whose parent were poor and the children of slaves – we can take this music and make something new with it,” he says. “The story isn’t finished. There are still places where it can move forward. There are still things that can be accomplished. There’s so much that can be done if we stay connected to the music and stay connected to our culture. That goes for all of us, for people of every culture. If we know where we’re coming from individually, then we’ll be able to present those gifts to the worked so that others can appreciate them.”

Corey Harris’ blu.black (TEL-31795-02) is due at retail on September 29, 2009.

Greetings massive.  Reaching out to ones and ones from Paris.  Corey is forwarding to the US after two blazing performances @ Aulnay Sous Bois in suburban Paris.  Joining Corey for the Sunday evening show was the great Malian ngoni player, Bassekou Kouyate and his wife, the legendary singer Ami Sacko.  They played traditional mandingue pieces such as Dounya and Djandjun for a rapt audience.  Also featured on the show were Otis Taylor (Recapturing the Banjo), as well as blues masters Billy Branch (harmonica) and Lurie Bell (guitar).  It was a wonderful night of roots music with plenty Bambara vibes mixed seamlessly with the blues.  Look for more collaborations next year a Corey continues his musical mission.  We keeping it royal, we keeping it clean!

bless up and stay tuned....

Greetings massive -- Corey and Peanut (Stable Roots Productions) have been busy in the lab, writing new music for Corey's next record on the Telarc label. Getting ready to record in December, album will drop sometime in late May, so be on the lookout. Full of original material, this is what the fans have been waiting for. Pure, fresh roots and culture...one drop and soul vibes marinated in Africa and the blues. Sounds like no one else.... Also coming soon: a solo acoustic blues record from Corey celebrating the blueprint, the blues that he cut his teeth on. So stay tuned people. The story continues.