Corey Harris: Blues With All The Roots and Branches

With one foot in tradition and the other in contemporary experimentation, Corey Harris is a truly unique voice in contemporary music. He is a guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and bandleader who has carved out his own niche in blues. Beginning his career as a New Orleans street singer, he traveled through the Southern US before spending a year in Cameroon, West Africa in his early 20s. Both these experiences had profound effects on his later work, and he takes influence from reggae, soul, rock, and West African music.

Corey Harris has earned substantial critical acclaim as one of the few contemporary bluesmen able to channel the raw, direct emotion of acoustic Delta blues without coming off as an authenticity-obsessed historian. He was prominently featured in the Martin Scorsese film ‘The Blues: A Musical Journey’ and has performed, recorded, and toured with many of the top names in music such as Billy Bragg & Wilco, BB King, Taj Mahal, Buddy Guy, R.L. Burnside, Ali Farka Toure, the Dave Matthews Band, Tracy Chapman, and Olu Dara.

Fresh from a U.S. co-headline tour with Aussie favourite Eric Bibb, the MacArthur Fellowship winner returns to Australia for the first time in over 16 years for a series of solo shows along the East Coast.

“Harris is the authentic article; the real keeper of the Delta flame.” – Jazz Times

“Masterful… a remarkable talent… potent… effortless… magnificent…” – Chicago Tribune

Who: Corey Harris, acclaimed blues musician

What: First Australian tour in 16 years

Where: Sydney’s chances to see Harris are at the Brass Monkey in Cronulla and The Basement

When: August 23 at the Basement, and August 25 at The Basement

For more information such as other tour dates or for booking information, click HERE.