DRH in Billboard June 97

HARRIS SHOWS OFF A SOUND ALL HIS OWN ON 57 RECORDS DEBUT


David Ryan Harris' name may not ring a familiar bell, but his music probably does. The Atlanta-based singer/songwriter/guitarist was the secret ingredient in Dionne Farris' 1994 Columbia debut, "Wild Seed-Wild Flower." He co-wrote two songs, co-produced six, played guitar, and served as musical director on that set. Or, some may remember Harris from his acclaimed eclectic funk rock band Follow For Now, whose self-titled 1991 Chrysalis album was overshadowed by the success of the similar-sounding Living Colour.

Now, Harris is striking out on his own with his self-titled, self-produced debut album on Brendan O'Brien's Sony imprint, 57 Records, due July 22 via Columbia. He hooked up with 57 Records through his longtime association with O'Brien, who produced the first demo tapes of "Follow For Now." O'Brien also mixed "David Ryan Harris." The enhanced CD (ECD) features footage from Harris' four-minute electronic press kit, interview clips, and an acoustic version of the album track "Nothing More To Say." The ECD also includes a World Wide Web browser to connect listeners to his site on the Internet, which is at www.davidryanharris.com.

"This album is a logical progression, but then a logical progression gives a connotation of being thought-out, but it's not. It's just where I am now," says the 29-year-old artist of his debut, which ranges from pure pop to soulful singer/songwriter-type songs to gentle rockers with hints of R&B and jazz. "I wanted to show my range. This record is all about the fact that I needed to put these songs out with these different styles and approaches so that the second record, if it's only one of these styles, will make sense."

The diversity on the album stems from Harris' upbringing--his mother spoon-fed him the blues of John Lee Hooker, while his father got him into bebop and jazz. The result is an artist who cites Bad Brains' "I Against I" and Stevie Wonder's "Songs In The Key Of Life" as two of his favorite albums and '70s popster Gino Vanelli, classic rockers Steely Dan, and is as a few of his favorite artists.

What do these artists have in common? "The element of surprisewithin the structure of the songs," says Harris. "That's what Ilike to do. I don't want people to already know what key I'm goingto do the chorus in. Surprise within structure, and certainlysurprise from song to song. The only thing that is somewhat centralto everything I do is blues. It's all blues-based stuff. Soul andblues, which is where I really come from.

"Not everyone is allowed artistic freedom like Stevie Wonder was," he continues. "He had something that was definitely his sound, but he was still allowed to dress it up in different clothes. He was probably the last artist to be allowed to do that. There aren't a lot of artists that the music critics allow to make those grand shifting artistic statements, and I know that that is something I want to do."

It wasn't exactly Harris' choice to wait so long between projects. "After the breakup of Follow For Now, I couldn't sign a record deal or do anything because of a legal entanglement with my ex-managers, who managed Follow For Now," explains Harris. He is now managed by Pete Angelus of Angelus Entertainment, who also managed the Black Crowes. "It was hard, no one would touch me for fear of being brought in on this suit [by his former managers], so I just sat tight and worked with other people."

Some of the people he has worked with in the past few years are Michelle Malone, Edwin McCain, and Seedy Arkhestra (helmed by fromer Fishbone member Chris Dowd).

The legal setback may have been a blessing in disguise, since Harris has learned, albeit the hard way, more about the business side of the music industry. "First, I don't know if I was ready to have a record of my own out four years ago," he admits. "I've just learned so much from a producing standpoint finding out who I am and paying my dues. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm not green anymore."

While the label doesn't service radio until late July, modern rock WNNX Atlanta's "Locals Only" show, which airs Sundays 6-8 p.m., is already playing "Change" from the album and in May had Harris perform on the "Locals Only" stage at the Atlanta Music Midtown Festival.

"There's been a big anticipation buzz about David because of the success of Follow For Now on a local level. They were a big 'Oh, I remember them' reaction band," says Steve Craig, midday personality at WNNX and host of "Locals Only." "He played the last night of the festival to a sea of people who were just mesmerized and grooving to him and his band. It was a phenomenal performance. He gave me his CD, and I've been leaning on 'Change' a lot."

Craig says the reaction to "Change" was equally "phenomenal" and that Atlanta listeners were calling to find out if David Ryan Harris is the same David Harris who was in Follow For Now. "His style does a lot to bridge the gap between urban and pop and rock," adds Craig. "It's real good mass-appeal, and everyone here is asking for it."

"Change" will be one of the songs on a four-song sampler that Columbia will issue to college, triple-A, mainstream rock, and modern rock radio stations. The sampler will also include "If I Had A Dime," "Sympathy For The Crow," and "Six Feet Off The Ground." The label's initial plan is to forgo the first single and introduce Harris to various radio formats as an "artist," according to Greg Linn, marketing manager at Columbia.

The label is looking for feedback from the various formats to help guide it on which way to go with the album, says Linn.

Already, Harris has been well received by a wide range of national publications. There will be features on Harris in the September issues of Vibe, Musician, and Guitar Player, while reviews are running in Request and Mademoiselle.

"We don't think of David formatically here," says Linn. "We just want to put him in front of a lot of people. His music crosses a lot of boundaries; he's an African-American man who listens to everything from Stevie Wonder to the Allman Brothers. His audience can come from all walks of life; we just want to get him in front of the right audience."

Troy Blakely at Agency for the Performing Arts is in the midst of scheduling a summer tour for Harris, which will include a June 25 showcase in Atlanta.

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BY CARRIE BORZILLO


***Thanks to Furious Rose for submitting this interview