The Next Stage Theater presents A Night Of Acoustic Blues With Corey Harris and Sunny Lowdown, co-sponsored by The Vermont Blues Society.
Corey Harris is a guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and bandleader who has carved out a singular place in contemporary blues. Since beginning his career as a New Orleans street singer, Harris has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe, Brazil, the Caribbean, West Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
In his early twenties, Harris lived in Cameroon, West Africa for a year—an experience that profoundly shaped his musical voice. Deeply rooted in blues tradition, his work expands the genre by weaving in elements of reggae, soul, rock, and West African music. His 1995 album Between Midnight and Day paid homage to acoustic blues traditions, while more than a dozen subsequent releases chart his evolution from interpreter to visionary songwriter.
Harris has performed and recorded with an extraordinary range of artists, including B.B. King, Taj Mahal, Buddy Guy, R.L. Burnside, Dave Matthews Band, Tracy Chapman, Wilco, and Natalie Merchant. In 2003, he was featured as artist and narrator in Martin Scorsese’s film Feel Like Going Home, which traced the blues’ journey from West Africa to the American South.
In recognition of his innovative and eclectic work, Harris received a MacArthur Fellowship (“Genius Grant”) in 2007, the same year he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Bates College. With one foot firmly in tradition and the other in bold experimentation, Corey Harris remains a truly distinctive voice in modern music.
Sunny Lowdown is a master of slide guitar, known for deep grooves, slow-burning blues, and a raw, hypnotic sound steeped in tradition. His career began early—at just sixteen, he played his first professional gig backing John Lee Hooker—and has since included collaborations with blues legends such as Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins, Otis Rush, George “Wild Child” Butler, R.L. Burnside, and Cedell Davis.
Lowdown’s 2018 release Down Loaded earned a Blues Blast Music Award nomination, and in 2019 he won the Vermont Blues Challenge, advancing to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Whether playing electric or acoustic guitar, Sunny’s approach is understated and powerful—his strength lies in tone, phrasing, and feel rather than flash.
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