ZAC HARMON
Zac Harmon is an award-winning guitarist, singer, and songwriter whose distinctive style continues the lineage of American Blues music. Americaís classical music. Blues Revue called Harmon ìa masterful musician and performer of the blues.î Blues journalist Don Wilcock referred to his ìBobby Blue Bland uptown sophistication with a touch of Freddie King guitar.î And JazzReview said, With his big blues sound from Mississippi, Harmon can go toe to toe with some of the best blues men in the business. Please don't be shy, go ahead and mention Harmon's name in the same sentence with BobbyBlue Bland, Albert King and Bobby Rush, just to name a few! Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Zac Harmon is a true embodiment of the music that emanated from the cityís historic Farish Street district, home of blues legend Elmore James. His mom played piano, and his dad, the city's first state registered black pharmacist, played harmonica and tended to the needs of artists such as Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Ike and Tina Turner, Albert King, and Little Milton. Zac started his professional career at age sixteen, playing guitar with Sam Myers, a friend of his fatherís. Two years later he was playing with Dorothy Moore, Z.Z. Hill and other well-known blues artists who were passing through on regional tours. In the early eighties, at age 21, he moved to Los Angeles to take a real shot at the music business. He worked as a studio musician at first and eventually established a very successful career as a songwriter and producer. Harmon wrote songs for the likes of Troop, Karyn White, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Freddie Jackson, the Whispers, K-Ci & Jo Jo, and the O'Jays. He also wrote and produced songs for reggae band Black Uhuru's Mystical Truth album, which received a Grammy nomination in 1994. In 2004, Harmon and his band, the Mid South Blues Revue, sponsored by the Southern California Blues Society, traveled to Memphis and won the Blues Foundationís prestigious International Blues Challenge title of ìBest Unsigned Band." His next release, in 2005, was The Blues According To Zacariah, which garnered major national airplay, including XM, Sirius and the American Blues Network. XM listeners voted Harmon Best New Blues Artist in the inaugural XM Nation Awards in 2005. In 2006, Harmon won the coveted Blues Music Award for Best New Artist Debut for The Blues According to Zacariah. In 2008, he released Shot in the Kill Zone in Europe, which was recorded live at the Lionel Hampton Room in Paris. He then signed with the Northern Blues label for his third and much-anticipated U.S. album, From the Root, which was released April 2009. Also in 2009, Zac was honored for his career achievements in his beloved hometown at the Jackson Music Awards, and weeks later in Memphis, the Jusí Blues Music Foundation bestowed the ìLittle Miltonî Guitar Award for ìOutstanding Guitar Playerî upon him. Zac was a featured performer for the 2010 Mississippi Celebrates its ìGrammy Legacy celebration, hosted by Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, where he was presented with a Peavey Award, which honors the state's many Grammy winners and nominees as well as individuals who have played a significant role in developing and furthering Mississippi's musical heritage. In 2016 Harmon released Right Man Right Now. Right Man Right Now also featured some incredibly talented guest musicians. Guest included Bobby Rush, Lucky Peterson, Anson Funderburgh and Mike Finnegan. In July 2018, Harmon was signed by the Texas based label, Catfood Records. This union has produced the July 2019 release entitled Mississippi BarBQ. Produced by legendary producer Jim Gaines (Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughn), Mississippi BarB Q is the most progressive effort from Harmon to date. Today Zac Harmon continues to tour both nationally and internationally as an ambassador of this great American classical music art form called the Blues. |