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Anne Harris (musician)

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Anne Harris
Anne Harris at the Liri Blues Festival, Italy, in 2010
Anne Harris at the Liri Blues Festival, Italy, in 2010
Background information
Born (1966-02-02) February 2, 1966 (age 58)
Yellow Springs, Ohio, U.S.
GenresPop rock, country, Hawaiian music
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, violinist, recording artist, actress
Instrument(s)Vocals, violin, mandolin, ukulele, tambourine
Years active1997–present
LabelsRugged Road Records
Websitewww.anneharris.com

Anne Harris (born February 2, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, violinist, recording artist, and actress based in Chicago, Illinois.[1][2] She has independently produced and released six studio albums on her record label, Rugged Road Records: Anne Harris (2001), Open Your Doors (2003), Wine and Poetry (2005),[3] Gravity and Faith (2008), Come Hither (2015) and Roots (2019). A live album, Live at the Acorn Theater, was released in 2008.[4]

Early life and education

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Harris grew up in Yellow Springs, Ohio, home of Antioch College. The earthy, liberal and progressive environment of her hometown remains an influence in her songwriting to this day.[1] She began studying classical violin at the age of eight and eventually attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where she earned a degree from the School of Music.

Career

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After college, Harris moved to Chicago and worked as an actor in theater and commercials for a few years before returning to music around 1997.[3] She worked for a while with a number of local Chicago bands, notably Poi Dog Pondering, building a strong reputation for her instrumental talent. Over time she began writing and performing her own music.[5]

Along with her recorded work, Harris has performed at the North by Northeast music festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has sung the U.S. National Anthem at a Chicago Cubs baseball game[2] and was awarded "Album Artwork of the Year" honors at the 2006 DIY Music Festival in Los Angeles for her Wine and Poetry CD packaging.[3]

Harris continues to play violin with other notable national artists. From 2009 into 2018, she toured and recorded with trance-blues innovator and 2009 Blues Music Award winner, Otis Taylor.[6][7][8] She also has appeared with Cathy Richardson in several formations - as a duo, in the Cathy Richardson Band, and in Jefferson Starship.[9][10]

She has served an elected term on the Board of Governors of the Chicago Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.[11]

Harris also appeared as the character "Prudence" on three episodes of Jack's Big Music Show, a music oriented children's television program on Noggin (now the Nick Jr. Channel).[12]

Musical style and influences

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Her music has been described by various writers as incorporating a variety of influences, including traditional Celtic music, American folk-rock,[13] Afrobeat,[1] soul, and chamber music. For lack of a specific genre label, her work has been dubbed "conscious music" which refers to music and lyrics that have some basis in a spiritual, humanist philosophy.[3]

Discography

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  • Anne Harris (2001)
  • Open Your Doors (2003)
  • Wine and Poetry (2005)[3]
  • Gravity And Faith (2008)
  • Live At The Acorn Theater (2008)
  • Come Hither (2015)
  • Roots (2019)

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Downing 2007
  2. ^ a b MacNeil, Allmusic
  3. ^ a b c d e Hughes 2007
  4. ^ Issacson 2008
  5. ^ Miller 2003
  6. ^ Cote 2008
  7. ^ Harris 2019
  8. ^ Taylor
  9. ^ Bonfiglio 2016
  10. ^ Hughes 2008
  11. ^ Recording Academy
  12. ^ Spiffy Pictures
  13. ^ Chicago Magazine 2003

References

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  • "FrontLines", Chicago Magazine, vol. 52, no. 3, p. 18, March 1, 2003
  • Bonfiglio, Jeremy (Dec 1, 2016), "'We just want to play and make people happy': Friends, musicians Anne Harris, Cathy Richardson perform rare acoustic duo show Friday at The Acorn", Herald-Palladium, retrieved 2019-02-26
  • Downing, Andy (April 20, 2007), "Fresh off 'Wine and Poetry,' Harris gets into the spirit", Chicago Tribune (Section 7), p. 12
  • Harris, Anne (May 15, 2018), Meet Anne Harris, VoyageChicago, retrieved 2019-02-26
  • Hughes, Andrew S. (June 15, 2007), "All kinds of music intoxicating to Harris", South Bend Tribune, p. D3
  • MacNeil, Jason. "Allmusic: Anne Harris: Overview". AllMusicGuide. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  • Miller, Bryan (May 30, 2003), "Bringing the fiddle back to rock", The DePaulia Magazine (Special Edition), vol. 2, Depaul University, Chicago, p. 4
  • "Recording Academy, Chicago Chapter". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 21 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  • "All about Jack's Big Music Show". Spiffy Pictures. Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  • Isaacson, Gail (October 1, 2008), "Dune Ledger: 200 Words or Less", Lake Magazine, LaPorte, Indiana, p. 45
  • Cote, Michael (February 1, 2009), "Cassie Taylor: A Bluesman's Daughter Finds Her Place in the Spotlight", Blues Review, no. 116, p. 11
  • Taylor, Otis. "Otis Taylor: Band". Otis Taylor. Archived from the original on 19 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
  • Hughes, Andrew S. (October 19, 2008), "Paul Kantner Returns to Folk Roots", South Bend Tribune, p. 10
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