2025 Summer Arts Festival Friday Night Outdoor Concerts Kickoff with Corey Harris
Venue: Henderson Lawn, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg
Organizations: Corey Harris, Summer Arts Festival
Date: Friday, May 23, 2025
Time: 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Event Types: Music
Cost: Free
Description:
The Summer Arts Festival kicks off their 2025 Friday Night Outdoor Concerts with the blues musician Corey Harris on Friday, May 23, 2025 outside at Henderson Lawn on the campus of Virginia Tech.

Corey Harris was born in Denver, Colorado and is a guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and band leader who has carved out his own niche in blues and currently resides in Charlottesville, VA. A powerful singer and accomplished guitarist, he has appeared at venues throughout North America, Europe, Brazil, The Caribbean, West Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

He began his career as a New Orleans street singer, travelling throughout the southern United States. In his early twenties he lived in Cameroon, West Africa for a year, which had a profound effect on his later work. He has recorded many old songs of the blues tradition while also creating an original vision of the blues by adding influences from reggae, soul, rock and West African music. His 1995 recording, Between Midnight and Day, is a tribute to the tradition of acoustic blues. Subsequent recordings, such as Greens From the Garden (1999), Mississippi to Mali (2003), and Daily Bread (2005) show Harris’ maturation from interpreter to songwriter.

Some of his imaginative compositions are marked by a deliberate eclecticism; other works stay true to the traditional blues formula of compelling vocals and down-home guitar. With one foot in tradition and the other in contemporary experimentation, Harris is a truly unique voice in contemporary music.

He has performed, recorded, and toured with many of the top names in music such as BB King, Taj Mahal, Buddy Guy, Henry Butler, R.L.Burnside, John Jackson, Ali Farka Toure, Dave Mattews Band, Tracy Chapman, Olu Dara, Wilco, Natalie Merchant, and others. His additional recordings include Fish Ain’t Bitin’ (1996), Vu-Du Menz (with Henry Butler, 2000), Downhome Sophisticate (2002), Zion Crossroads (2007), blu black ( 2010 ), Fulton Blues (2013), Live from Turtle Island (2015), Live at New Orleans Jazz Fest (2016), Live in Vienna, Austria (2016), Free Waterway (2018), and Louisa County Blues (2019).

He was featured on the 2003 PBS television mini-series "The Blues", in an episode directed by Martin Scorsese.

Links:

• https://coreyharris.net/
• https://www.facebook.com/coreyharrisband
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrnNfLhi06QMkpLMkljfC7w
• https://www.instagram.com/coreyharrisband

Admission is free and all are welcome.

Bring chairs or a blanket, a picnic, and settle in for an evening of live music.

In the event of inclement weather, this event will be canceled.

Friday Night Outdoor Concerts on Henderson Lawn are presented by Virginia Tech and the Town of Blacksburg as part of the 2025 Summer Arts Festival.

For more information, visit: https://news.vt.edu/articles/2025/05/sopa-summerartsfestival2025.html or https://www.facebook.com/VTperformingarts or https://www.facebook.com/events/1872901583531811 or contact Ariana Wyatt at ariana1@vt.edu.