Anne Harris (musician)
Anne Harris | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | Yellow Springs, Ohio, U.S. | February 2, 1966
Genres | Pop rock, country, Hawaiian music |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, violinist, recording artist, actress |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, violin, mandolin, ukulele, tambourine |
Years active | 1997–present |
Labels | Rugged Road Records |
Website | www.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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- 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
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- "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