“I wrote this song a few years ago, but it never found its way out until now,” says singer, songwriter and fiddle virtuoso Anne Harris about her latest single. “I wanted to express that we all have the power to direct our course. The forces that would have us believe otherwise benefit when we dim our light.”
The product of a small university town in Ohio who’s since found her place—artistically and otherwise—in Chicago, Harris has been a well-lit beacon of inspiration for more than 25 years. Her collaborations span a vast and diverse array of artists, including Markus James, Otis Taylor, Anders Osborne, Living Colour, Shemekia Copeland, Vieux Farke Toure, Guy Davis, Marcella Simien and Jefferson Starship. Most recently, she was spotted strutting her stuff with Cracker at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.
For her upcoming release, I Feel It Once Again, Harris worked with producer by Colin Linden (Bob Dylan, John Prine) to gracefully rein in an array of influences, from folk and blues to spirituals and gospel-flavored fare like “Everybody Gotta Rise Up.” The instrumental fiddle tracks on the LP feature a newly crafted violin that’s the first-ever commission between two professional black women (Harris and luthier Amanda Ewing) in the U.S.
We’re proud to premiere the video for Anne Harris’ “Everybody Gotta Rise Up.” Look for Feel It Once Again on May 9 via Harris’ own Rugged Road label.
—Hobart Rowland
