About
HARRIS GILMORE & THE MAJIC JOHNSONS
Label: everhip
since circa 2004
It’s been ten years since Harris Gilmore led HARRIS & THE HOTHEADS into with a soundtrack and appearance in the movie; SLEEPING WITH STRANGERS, (Columbia Pictures 1995), some airplay with the HARRIS penned blues/rock harmonica love song, STUCK ON YOU, and numerous appearances at Blues and Jazz Festivals on Vancouver Island and the Pacific Northwest. Harris followed that up with his first full length cd, (EVERHIP), with HARRIS GILMORE AND THE MIDNIGHT BAND. HARRIS GILMORE is still smokin’ the blues, recently with THE MAJIC JOHNSONS and now with THE MOJOS. The band's recent fiery appearance at the 2006 Vancouver Island Blues Bash won over a pile of new fans and generated more interest in HARRIS' music and THE MOJOS intense live performances.
Besides his gritty vocals and passionate, harmonica playing, (Joseph Blake of the Times-Colonist once referred to HARRIS as a harmonica master and soulful singer), HARRIS plays a mean slide guitar, sometimes in fresh places as in his original reggae/bluesy tune IF YOU SEE MY EGO.
With his latest unit, THE MAJIC JOHNSONS, HARRIS and the band burn up the stage with hard driving blues and reggae, but also provide strange and wonderful combinations of musical genres; THE MAJIC JOHNSONS could be pounding out a down and dirty blues number, like “Wang Dang Doodle” and Harris will get a strange look in his eyes and break into a few bars of the 80’s hit, “Tainted Love”. Or how about a “Bo Diddley” medley interspersed with Tex Ritter’s 1940’s cowboy tune, “I’ve Got Spurs That Jingle Jangle Jingle”. Or a standard like the “Peter Gunn” guitar theme driven by Arabic drumming and spliced with Oye Como Va? If all that is too much try HARRIS’ original; BANG BANG BOOGIE, a slide guitar boogie that peaks with HARRIS delivering a spoken message about keeping your dreams alive.
Harris has opened shows for Robben Ford, Downchild Blues Band, Katie Webster, and, don't forget...folksinger Valdy?
Here is what critics have said about HARRIS in the past:
"HARRIS puts body and soul into his performances." -Amy O'Connor
CoverSTORY
"A harmonica master and soulful singer." -Joseph Blake
Victoria Times-Colonist
"Too damn loud!" -Marion Gilmore
HARRIS' mother
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
HARRIS GILMORE - singer/songwriter, harmonica, percussion, (including a pineapple and plastic milk carton with brush), slide guitar.
Former lead singer/songwriter harmonica master with blues-rock group HARRIS & THE HOTHEADS. A drummer first, HARRIS played with blues/folkie KEN HAMM, (Juno award w
Continuing Under New Name
Last Lineup
Past Members
