Sol Harris has been playing original music since 1986!  A self-taught singer-songwriter guitarist since the age of 16, his compositions are easy listening, melodious songs that capture the beauty of vocal harmonies, sensitive guitar and enchanting stories.

Sol’s captivating vocal range spans 4 octaves, and draws you in with its clear, smooth and clean tone…
NZ Musician

I’ve been a practising singer-songwriter and performer for 40 years now, but ever since I can remember, music has been part of my family. My grandmother was a classically trained pianist taught by Gustav Holst (who wrote “The Planets“), my father was an accomplished pianist and guitarist (amongst other instruments such as the accordion) and my three brothers all play (or try) at least one instrument each. My children are musical too.

My family’s influence cannot be ignored, but I really owe my song-writing and guitarist beginnings to my old friend Chris, with whom, as teenagers, we would sit and compose poems, songs and generally try to compete against the other creative songwriters in our social milieu!  Chris, and another friend – Carl, both played guitar and together we wrote some ‘crazy’ spontaneous “masterpieces” – all of which are long since forgotten, all of which were long-inspired by the greats: Hendrix, Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Zeppelin, Joplin, Lennon, Bob Marley, Beatles, Springsteen, Crosby Stills, Nash & Young, Floyd, Baez, Dylan, Mitchell, Guthrie, Taylor, Denver, Paxton, King, Silverstein, Simon & Garfunkel (they were big on me!).

We gave each other inspiration and the desire to perform. I got ‘the bug’ and continued writing poetry and songs until one day, I finally bought my own guitar at the age of 16 and could actually start to put them together. I taught myself to play from tablature and chord chart books, progressing to musical notation and of course, the old favourite, listening to, jamming with, copying / complimenting others!

I consider my voice to be my main instrument, however the acoustic and sometimes the electric guitar are my support. I play a mixture of rhythm and finger picking styles, but you’ll really have to listen to my music to decide for yourself as to what kind of genre it fits into – though most would agree it’s a flavour of ‘contemporary pop/folk’ whatever that is!

Over the years, I’ve played in many bands and had stints on bass guitar, drums, piano and percussion. The most recent addition to my musical instrument repertoire is the djembe (pron: jem-bay) – an upright African drum that looks similar to the Latin conga drum. I love the different tones that can be generated either the ‘boomy’ flat palm sound or the ‘slap’ of the fingers on the drum skin or rim. The djembe is a great instrument at parties, especially when played in a group. Unfortunately, I got into this instrument after recording had started for my debut CD, but I plan to incorporate it into future recordings. My vocal range spans 4 octaves – perhaps more when I’m in good shape. As I get older, it will be interesting to find out if I can still reach such wide highs and lows – after 40 years, I can still just about get there!

Around 2001, I left my native UK and toured with my guitar, playing at small festivals and venues across USA, Canada, in Fiji, Vanuatu and in New Zealand & Australia. As well as proving to be a lot of fun, this adventure enabled me to return to a more organic, independent style, providing inspiration for new material. Throughout these journeys, I was exposed to a wide variety of experiences, opportunities and possibilities – all encouraging growth and musical development – basically travel is a rich source of creativity, as long as you’re not too exhausted!

When I first arrived in New Zealand in 2003, I began a love affair with Waiheke Island, where I eventually settled (and still live with my wife and children).  I released my debut album Lazy Days in 2007 and have several more in the pipeline.  Consider buying a copy as all proceeds contribute to the next album which is “in progress”.

In 2004 – 2006, I ran a weekly voice and singing workshop called “Expressive Voice & Singing”.  This was inspired after attending several voice workshops around the world, most notably a workshop at Elim Church in Thames that introduced me to the concept of using the voice to produce eclectic random sounds to built a “sound pyramid” – or a choir of vocal innovations.

The workshop I ran built on this theme and eventuated in an acapella cover song choir, with some attendees singing and others mimicking the sound of instruments. Overall it was a lot of fun and very rewarding for the dozens of people who took part.  Morevoer, this was a very popular event and I still regularly receive requests to re-run the workshop and it’s something I’m considering, even if it’s for a brief period, for example at a festival or community event.

Since the release of my CD, I’ve performed at many weddings, small festivals, social events and gatherings.  As a father of three wonderful children, my time has become limited for music, but as the children grow and become more independent, once again I am discovering more opportunities to perform, create and enjoy the wonder of music.

As a writer, I like to keep my compositions simple, engaging and easy to join in with!  It seems to me there is a deficit of melodious songs in our world, that feature pleasing vocal harmonies, poetic stories and catchy but easy to play along with rhythms.  I’m often asked whether I write the lyrics or music first.  The answer is both, it simply depends which comes first!

In terms of influence, I would really have to honour The Beatles, Paul Simon and of course Simon & Garfunkel, Sting, Jeff Buckley, Neil Young, James Taylor, Nick Drake, Robert Plant, David Gilmour, Chris Martin and many others.  I’m very eclectic in my musical tastes and often listen to classical music – piano concertos are my favourites, but I also enjoy string quartets!

Chronology

• 1986 – 1989: Solo performer – Around Somerset UK (Acoustic Folk).
• 1989 – 1991: Punk band called ‘The Crash’ – London, UK
• 1991 – 1992: Head Stop Start – Plymouth, UK (Acoustic Trio, then 6 piece Indie-Pop)
• 1992 – 1994: Flipside – Plymouth, UK (5 piece Funk-Pop)
• 1994 – 1996: Solo – London, UK
• 1995 – 1997: SlipStream – London, UK (4 piece Funk / Folk band)
• 1998 – 2005: Solo – Global (Acoustic)
• 2005 – 2007: Recording / release of album “Lazy Days“ New Zealand
• 2008 – now:  Wedding and covers band New Zealand
• 2008 – now:  Solo at festivals, events, gigs and gatherings (mainly New Zealand)

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