Craig Harris

Asks hard questions about partnerships between big business and universities

Craig Harris dives deeply into The Band, including the myths and confusions surrounding its members, and provides a wide-ranging account from their very beginnings with Ronnie Hawkins, collaboration with Bob Dylan, to the present. A half-century after The Band’s original lineup, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson, and Levon Helm played together for a final time at a star-studded concert—the “Last Waltz”—on Thanksgiving 1976. The group’s blend of folk, blues, country, Dixieland, and rock ‘n’ roll is revered as a root of Americana music. Harris interweaves original and previously unpublished interviews with the late Robertson, Danko, and Hawkins, as well as producer/sideman Aaron “Professor Louie” Hurwitz, drummer Rick Ciarlante, the Helm Band’s Larry Campbell and his wife Teresa Williams, and others. Recordings, concerts, festivals, film appearances, Robertson’s soundtracks for Martin Scorsese, and others are assessed closely. But this isn’t just a story celebrating the group’s countless hits, successes, and victories. Despite their lasting influence, The Band’s journey was far from smooth. Drug and alcohol abuse, poor health, bankruptcies, and bitter conflicts over songwriting credits took their toll. Craig Harris looks at it all.

At just twenty-two years old, Melanie was the first female solo performer at the historic 1969 Woodstock Festival, transforming into an overnight sensation. Craig Harris chronicles Melanie’s remarkable journey, revealing her dedication to artistic integrity for more than half a century. Inspired by a candle-lighting ceremony before her Woodstock performance, Melanie’s “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” became a groundbreaking gospel-pop hit. A month after its 1971 release, “Brand New Key” knocked Don McLean’s “American Pie” out of the Billboard pop charts’ top slot. Melanie often sang about love and world peace, but things usually weren’t so rosy. At a time when female artists were pressured to be subservient, Melanie was encouraged to put down her guitar, give up writing songs, and stick to saccharine pop tunes. However, she remained true to herself. Twice named “Female Artist of the Year” by Billboard, she scored an Emmy for songwriting and became the first woman to own a major record label. Based on extensive research and interviews, this book thoroughly explores Melanie’s influential life in music.

Music historian Craig Harris explores more than five hundred years of Indigenous history, religion, and cultural evolution in Rise Up! Indigenous Music in North America. More than powwow drums and wooden flutes, Indigenous music intersects with rock, blues, jazz, folk music, reggae, hip-hop, classical music, and more. Combining deep research with personal stories by nearly four dozen award-winning Indigenous musicians, Harris offers an eye-opening look at the growth of Indigenous music. Among a host of North America’s most vital Indigenous musicians, the biographical narratives include new and well-established figures such as Mildred Bailey, Louis W. Ballard, Cody Blackbird, Donna Coane (Spirit of Thunderheart), Theresa “Bear” Fox, Robbie Robertson, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Joanne Shenandoah, DJ Shub (Dan General), Maria Tallchief, John Trudell, and Fawn Wood.

The space race started just after World War 11. It was to be an epic battle between the Soviet Union and the United States of America. World dominance and superiority was the coveted prize. Espionage was rife. Soviet Dimitri Azorov infiltrated into the USA. He mingled into society and influential circles with high success whilst despatching vital information on metallurgy. Simultaneously a disgruntled former Japanese soldier attempts to sabotage several metal foundries producing exotic alloys for rocket components.

Blue Water Warriors tells the story of the early Sydney to Hobart yacht races. Drawing on log books and memories of the navigator on a legendary competing yacht, a living part of Australia's maritime history. The Mistral II's crew encountered dangers and hazards not generally faced by today's competitors, without life rafts, radios and no propeller that was deliberately removed. At one point there were death-defying moments where Mistral II came terrifying close to being smashed against the tremendous cliffs of Tasman Island. Blue Water Warriors chronicles the fierce rivalry between Mistral II and Morna, at that time the most famous yachts in Australia, and tells of more relaxed times on the return voyages to Sydney.

Blue Water Warriors tells the story of the early Sydney to Hobart yacht races. Drawing on log books and memories of the navigator on a legendary competing yacht, a living part of Australia's maritime history. The Mistral II's crew encountered dangers and hazards not generally faced by today's competitors, without life rafts, radios and no propeller that was deliberately removed. At one point there were death-defying moments where Mistral II came terrifying close to being smashed against the tremendous cliffs of Tasman Island. Blue Water Warriors chronicles the fierce rivalry between Mistral II and Morna, at that time the most famous yachts in Australia, and tells of more relaxed times on the return voyages to Sydney.

At a time when Acid Rock and Heavy Metal dominated popular music, The Band rebelled against the rebellion with a masterful mix of tight ensemble arrangements, great vocals, highly literate lyricism, and a respect for the musical traditions of the American South. Comprising Canadians Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson, and Arkansas-born Levon Helm, The Band sparked a new appreciation for America’s musical roots, fusing R&B, jump blues, country, folk, boogie-woogie, swing, Cajun, New Orleans-style jazz, and rock, and setting the foundations for the Americana craze that would take hold 30 years later. The Band: Pioneers of Americana Music explores the diverse influences on the quintet’s music, and the impact that their music had in turn on contemporary music and American society. Through previously unpublished interviews with Robbie Robertson, Eric Andersen, Pete Seeger, and the late Rick Danko, as well as numerous other sources, Craig Harris surveys The Band’s musical journey from sidemen for, among others, Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan, to rock legends in their own right. The book touches on the evolution of rock and roll, the electrifying of folk music, unionism, and Civil Rights Movement, the growth of America’s musical roots, changes in radio formatting, changing perceptions of the American south, and the commercializing of the counter-culture, as well as drug dependency, alcoholism, suicide, greed, and the struggle against cancer. Harris takes readers through The Band’s albums, from Music from Big Pink and The Band to their final releases and solo recordings, as well as their historic appearances at Woodstock, Isle of Wight (with Dylan), Watkins Glen (with the Allman Brothers Band and the Grateful Dead), and the Last Waltz (with an all-star cast) and participation in the Festival Express. This biography is a must-have publication, not only for fans, but also for anyone interested in music history. Craig Harris sets the record straight as he shares the story of this incredibly influential rock act.

Despite centuries of suppression and oppression, American Indian music survives today as a profound cultural force. Heartbeat, Warble, and the Electric Powwow celebrates in depth the vibrant soundscape of Native North America, from the ""heartbeat"" of intertribal drums and ""warble"" of Native flutes to contemporary rock, hip-hop, and electronic music. Drawing on more than one hundred interviews with musicians, producers, ethnographers, and record-label owners, author and musician Craig Harris conjures an aural tapestry in which powwow drums and end-blown woodwinds resound alongside operatic and symphonic strains, jazz and reggae, country music, and blues. Harris begins with an exploration of the powwow, from sacred ceremonies to intertribal gatherings. He examines the traditions of the Native American flute and its revival with artists such as two-time Grammy winners R. Carlos Nakai and Mary Youngblood. Singers and songwriters, including Buffy Sainte-Marie, Keith Secola, and Joanne Shenandoah, provide insights into their music and their lives as American Indians. Harris also traces American Indian rock, reggae, punk, and pop over four decades, punctuating his survey with commentary from such artists as Tom Bee, founder of Native America's first rock band, XIT. Grammy-winner Taj Mahal recalls influential guitarist Jesse Ed Davis; ex-bandmates reflect on Rock Hall of Fame inductee Redbone; Robbie Robertson, Pura Fe, and Rita Coolidge describe how their groundbreaking 1993 album, Music for the Native Americans, evolved; and DJs A Tribe Called Red discuss their melding of archival powwow recordings into fiery dance music. The many voices and sounds that weave throughout Harris's engaging, accessible account portray a sonic landscape that defies stereotyping and continues to expand. Heartbeat, Warble, and the Electric Powwow is the story - told by those who live it - of resisting a half-millennium of cultural suppression to create new sounds while preserving old roots. Listen in! Visit this book's page on the oupress.com website for a link to the book's Spotify playlist.

At a time when Acid Rock and Heavy Metal dominated popular music, The Band rebelled against the rebellion with a masterful mix of tight ensemble arrangements, great vocals, highly literate lyricism, and a respect for the musical traditions of the American South. Comprising Canadians Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson, and Arkansas-born Levon Helm, The Band sparked a new appreciation for America’s musical roots, fusing R&B, jump blues, country, folk, boogie-woogie, swing, Cajun, New Orleans-style jazz, and rock, and setting the foundations for the Americana craze that would take hold 30 years later. The Band: Pioneers of Americana Music explores the diverse influences on the quintet’s music, and the impact that their music had in turn on contemporary music and American society. Through previously unpublished interviews with Robbie Robertson, Eric Andersen, Pete Seeger, and the late Rick Danko, as well as numerous other sources, Craig Harris surveys The Band’s musical journey from sidemen for, among others, Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan, to rock legends in their own right. The book touches on the evolution of rock and roll, the electrifying of folk music, unionism, and Civil Rights Movement, the growth of America’s musical roots, changes in radio formatting, changing perceptions of the American south, and the commercializing of the counter-culture, as well as drug dependency, alcoholism, suicide, greed, and the struggle against cancer. Harris takes readers through The Band’s albums, from Music from Big Pink and The Band to their final releases and solo recordings, as well as their historic appearances at Woodstock, Isle of Wight (with Dylan), Watkins Glen (with the Allman Brothers Band and the Grateful Dead), and the Last Waltz (with an all-star cast) and participation in the Festival Express. This biography is a must-have publication, not only for fans, but also for anyone interested in music history. Craig Harris sets the record straight as he shares the story of this incredibly influential rock act.