David Ryan Harris
Encyclopedia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
based singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. Born in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, Harris moved to Atlanta at a young age. Harris has had a varied career as a musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. He is married and has 4 sons: Miles, Life, River, and Truman.
Influences
Harris has cited artists including Stevie WonderStevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, and Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
as influences. His solo music ranges in genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
from folk to Rhythm and Blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
.
Follow for Now
Harris has been performingPerformance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
on stage since the 1980s when he served as frontman for the Atlanta rock group Follow for Now
Follow For Now
Follow for Now was an American funk metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. At the height of their popularity in 1990, they headlined Atlanta's Center Stage Theater on New Year's Eve without a record contract, although the two opening bands had already released several albums...
. Harris' eclectic taste in music is apparent in the band's music, which shows influences ranging from Motown to thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
. Follow for Now was given a record deal through Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
and after working with producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Brendan O'Brien
Brendan O'Brien (music producer)
Brendan O’Brien is a record producer, mixer, engineer, and musician.At age 14, O'Brien played guitar for the Atlanta-based cover band Pranks. In the late 1970s, he moved on to writing, performing and recording with the Samurai Catfish band...
, released an unsuccessful self-titled album. The band members parted ways in 1994.
Solo career
After a short period out of the limelight, Harris began working as a producer and featured guitaristGuitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
with Dionne Farris
Dionne Farris
Dionne Farris is an American female R&B/soul musician who sang on three songs with the hip hop group Arrested Development...
, a former vocalist from hip-hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
group Arrested Development
Arrested Development (hip hop group)
Arrested Development is an American alternative hip hop group, founded by Speech and Headliner as a positive, Afrocentric alternative to the gangsta rap popular in the early 1990s.-History:...
. Harris’ guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
work can be heard throughout Farris’ 1995 album Wild Seed, Wild Flower
Wild Seed, Wild Flower
Wild Seed – Wild Flower is the debut full-length album by Dionne Farris, which she recorded after singing the song Tennessee by the alternative rap group Arrested Development...
.
Harris worked with Farris until he launched his solo career in 1997. He reunited with Brendan O'Brien
Brendan O'Brien (music producer)
Brendan O’Brien is a record producer, mixer, engineer, and musician.At age 14, O'Brien played guitar for the Atlanta-based cover band Pranks. In the late 1970s, he moved on to writing, performing and recording with the Samurai Catfish band...
and was signed to Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, where the two would produce Harris’ solo debut. While the album was praised by critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
s, Harris’ range of musical influences made the album difficult to sell and he soon moved on to his next project.
After the breakup with The Brand New Immortals in 2002, he continued going solo.
He released two more albums : Soulstice (2003) and The Bittersweet (2006)
Brand New Immortals
Still working with O’Brien, Harris united with drummerDrummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Kenny Creswell and former bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
of the Black Crowes Johnny Colt
Johnny Colt
Johnny Colt is an American bass guitar player.-Biography:He was the original bassist for The Black Crowes which formed in Atlanta, Georgia. After leaving the Black Crowes he went on to form the Brand New Immortals with guitarist David Ryan Harris and drummer Kenny Cresswell. Colt played bass for...
, Harris created the trio Brand New Immortals
Brand New Immortals
Brand New Immortals are a now defunct rock trio formed by David Ryan Harris, drummer Kenny Creswell, and former bassist for The Black Crowes, Johnny Colt. The group released a successful 6 track EP and were signed to Elektra Records. In 2001, the trio produced a full length album entitled Tragic...
. The group released a successful 6 track EP and were signed to Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
. In 2001, the trio produced a full length
Full Length
Full Length LP is the debut album by the Huntington Beach, California punk rock band Guttermouth, released in 1991 by Dr. Strange Records. It introduced the band's style of fast, abrasive punk rock with tongue-in-cheek humor and sarcastic lyrics...
album entitled Tragic Show, which the band felt that Elektra did not properly promote. Early the next year the band broke up and Harris returned to the pursuit of success as a solo artist.
Recent Work
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
(with whom Harris is currently on tour), Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews
David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
, and Santana
Santana (band)
Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
. Along with artists such as Sister Hazel
Sister Hazel
Sister Hazel are an alternative rock band from Gainesville, Florida, whose style also blends elements of folk rock, pop, classic rock 'n' roll and southern rock. Their music is characterized by highly melodic tunes and generally optimistic lyrics. The band's instrumentation often features abrupt...
, Better Than Ezra
Better Than Ezra
Better Than Ezra is an American alternative rock trio based in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Formation and early success:Better Than Ezra was formed in 1988 by its four original members - vocalist and guitarist Kevin Griffin; Joel Rundell, the lead guitarist; bassist Tom Drummond; and drummer, Cary...
, and Collective Soul
Collective Soul
Collective Soul is an American rock band originally formed in Stockbridge, Georgia. Collective Soul broke into mainstream popularity with their first hit single, "Shine", which came from their debut album Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid, released in 1993...
, Harris has also performed on The Rock Boat music festival from 2002-2009.
In March 2009, Harris performed with Australian musician Guy Sebastian
Guy Sebastian
Guy Theodore Sebastian is an Australian pop, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter who was the first winner of Australian Idol in 2003. He is currently a judge on the Australian version of The X Factor. Sebastian has released six top ten platinum/multi platinum albums, including a number-one and...
at SXSW, Austin Texas. He also performed with Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
and Sebastian at the 9th NON-COMMvention in Philadelphia in May 2009. Harris and Sebastian have had a long association. In 2004, Guy Sebastian recorded "Sweetest Berry" which is a David Ryan Harris written song on Sebastian's second album Beautiful Life. In 2006, Harris co-wrote two songs with Sebastian on his third album Closer to the Sun
Closer to the Sun (Guy Sebastian album)
Closer to the Sun is the third studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian, released on 28 October 2006 by Sony BMG Australia. Early news hinted that the album would feature a little bit of rock, soul, funk and pop genres. Some tracks that appear on the album were premiered at the...
. In 2009, Harris co-wrote the single "Like it Like That" with Sebastian. Harris played on and produced this #1 single which was the highest selling Australian artist single in 2009. Harris played on and produced Sebastian's followup album Like It Like That
Like It Like That (Guy Sebastian Album)
Like It Like That is the fifth album by Australian singer Guy Sebastian. The album was produced by David Ryan Harris & Fredrik Odesjo and was released in Australia on 23 October 2009 and in the US on 29 June 2010. The album contains a duet with Jordin Sparks, and also three tracks with John Mayer...
which is being released in the US in 2010.
David has also played guitar on the album, Who I Am from Nick Jonas And The Administration which was released on February 2, 2010, but former New Power Generation bassist Sonny Thompson
Sonny Thompson
Sonny Thompson was an American R&B bandleader and pianist, popular in the 1940s and 1950s.Born Alfonso Thompson in Centreville, Mississippi, he began recording in 1946, and in 1948 achieved two #1 R&B chart hits on the Miracle label – "Long Gone " and "Late Freight", both featuring saxophonist...
will replace him for live shows.
External links
- David Ryan Harris' Official Website
- [ David Ryan Harris Biography on Allmusic.com]
- David Ryan Harris collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live musicConcertA concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
archive - David Ryan Harris Blog at the IncaseIncase DesignsIncase Designs is a manufacturer of iPod, MacBook, iPhone, iPad, and guitar cases. Founded in 1997 by four longtime friends. Incase created the first iPod case for Apple Inc....
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