Zac Harmon

Guitarist and singer/songwriter Zac Harmon's distinctive stylings combine the best of the bedrock tradition of old-school soul-blues artists like Z.Z. Hill and Dorothy Moore with modern lyrics and themes that work for the blues in the new millennium. His live performances combine elements of everything that influenced him: soul-blues, gospel, reggae, and modern blues-rock. Interestingly, Harmon was raised in Jackson, MS, the son of a pharmacist, but he didn't begin to attract attention for his considerable talents as a bluesman until after he'd been living in Los Angeles for more than 20 years. In the '60s, he hung out at his father's pharmacy — the first African-American pharmacy in Jackson — learning from musicians who were customers while honing his chops as a guitarist, vocalist, and organist. By his late teens, he was accompanying soul-blues musicians like Z.Z. Hill, Dorothy Moore, Sam Myers, and McKinley Mitchell on their regional gigs, as a guitarist. As a 16-year-old, Harmon was teaching guitar at the YMCA, but his own desire to pursue college put music on the back burner for at least four years.

Harmon finally left Jackson for Los Angeles in 1980 to try to make a name for himself in music as a songwriter, studio musician, and producer. There, he wrote songs for the likes of Evelyn "Champagne" King, Freddie Jackson, the Whispers, K.Ci & Jo Jo and the O' Jays. He 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, won the Blues Foundation's International Blues Challenge, sponsored by the Southern California Blues Society of Los Angeles.

Harmon has two well-received albums available: The Blues According to Zacariah and From the Root. Each of these releases do a fine job of showcasing his brilliant originals, songs that break new lyrical ground and step away from the tired old blues (and country music) themes. A third album, and first live one, Live at Babe & Ricky's Inn (2002) may still be available at his live shows.

Harmon followed up his 2004 victory at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis with a 2006 W.C. Handy/Blues Award in the spring of that year for Best New Artist. As a songwriter, singer, guitarist, bandleader, producer, and impresario, Harmon embodies all that blues music can become in the second decade of the new millennium. ~ Richard J. Skelly, Rovi