Corey Harris Honored with
MacArthur Fellowship

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation named ASCAP member Corey Harris as one of their 2007 Fellows on September 24th. He was selected for creativity in music, and his potential to make important contributions in the future. MacArthur fellows receive $500,000 in support over 5 years.

Corey Harris is a guitarist, songwriter, and performer who is leading a contemporary revival of country blues with a fresh, modern hand. He is a powerful and compelling singer and an accomplished guitarist whose musical artistry is complemented by serious explorations of the historical and cultural conditions that gave rise to the blues. He demonstrates his respect for the past and his mastery of the Mississippi Delta blues tradition by interpreting the songs of early blues luminaries in new ways, while also creating an original vision of the blues by infusing his music with a broad range of sounds and styles. Beginning with his 1995 recording Between Midnight and Day, Harris has explored acoustic, rural blues styles with increasing success. With one foot in tradition and the other in contemporary experimentation, he blends musical styles often considered separate and distinct to create something entirely new for the 21st century.

Corey Harris received a B.A. (1991) from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. His additional recordings include Fish Ain't Bitin' (1997), Vu-Du Menz (with Henry Butler, 2000), Downhome Sophisticate (2002), and Zion Crossroads (2007). He has performed at venues and in festivals throughout the U.S. and abroad.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private, independent grantmaking institution dedicated to building a more just and sustainable world. Through the support it provides, the Foundation fosters the development of knowledge, nurtures individual creativity, helps strengthen institutions, helps improve public policy, and provides information to the public, primarily through support for public interest media. With an endowment over $6.1 billion, the Foundation makes grants totaling approximately $225 million each year. For more information or to sign-up for MacArthur's e-newsletter, visit www.macfound.org.