Under The Beams: True Blues

Hosted by Corey Harris, a MacArthur Grant recipient, along with America’s foremost blues harmonica virtuoso, Phil Wiggins and Cedric Watson, True Blues chronicles the extraordinary living culture of the blues in an evening of music and conversation.

The True Blues concert vividly brings to life this crucial wellspring of American music through these legendary musicians. Corey was featured in Martin Scorcese’s “The Blues: A Musical Journey,” which followed Corey on a roots journey to West Africa. Cory Harris is a guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and band leader who has carved out his own niche in blues. A powerful singer and accomplished guitarist, he has appeared at venues throughout the North America, Europe, Brazil, The Caribbean, West Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. 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.  Phil Wiggins is arguably America’s foremost blues harmonica virtuoso. While rooted in the melodic Piedmont or “Tidewater” blues of the Chesapeake region, his mastery of the instrument now transcends stylistic boundaries. Born in Washington D.C. in 1954, Phil Wiggins achieved worldwide acclaim over three decades as one half of the premier Piedmont blues duo of Cephas & Wiggins. He is a two-time winner of the prestigious WC Handy award and was honored with both the National Endowment of the Arts 2017 National Heritage Fellowship and the 2021 Maryland Heritage Award, both the most prestigious awards for traditional arts. One of the brightest young talents to emerge in Cajun, Creole and Zydeco (Louisiana French) music over the last decade, Cedric Watson is a four-time Grammy-nominated fiddler, singer, accordionist & songwriter with seemingly unlimited potential. Cedric made his first appearance at the age of 19 at the Zydeco Jam at The Big Easy in Houston, TX. Just two years later, he moved to south Louisiana, quickly immersing himself in French music and language. Over the next several years, Cedric performed French music in 17 countries and on 7 full-length albums with various groups, including the Pine Leaf Boys, several others, and with his own group, Bijou Creole. Blues is at the center of Corey, Phil and Cedric’s artistry, and the blues takes center stage in this True Blues concert.