Rich Harper learned to play blues guitar the traditional way by primarily being self-taught listening to and learning from the recordings of artists like Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Rory Gallagher, Freddy King, Duane Allman,... more » and so on. Rich developed his own slide style using the same Coricidin medicine bottle as Duane Allman. After paying his "blues dues" in small blue collar towns throughout Pennsylvania, Rich moved to Los Angeles to gather like minded musicians and formed the Rich Harper Blues Band.
With the success of their debut CD, "Don't Think Just Play", the Rich Harper Blues Band was not only selected as one of Amazon.com's prestigious "Emerging New Blues Artists", but Taxim Records, a German label, joined the group's growing list of blues fans by placing another cut, "She's On Her Way Up", on their compilation album titled "More Desaster City Blues". It wasn't long before the band's name was popping up in blues magazines everywhere and blues societies were urging their members to check out the exciting new group who were carving out a unique niche for themselves in the blues world. By the time the band released their second CD, "Bottled Up Blues", Europe had jumped on board by making the band the #1 selling artists in Switzerland on Amazon's charts. Radio stations worldwide welcomed the new CD with open arms and this time one of the cuts, "As She Moved In (My Guitar Moved Out)", topped Rolling Stone Magazine's "MP3 & More Blues Chart" at #1. The international blues scene stood up, did a double take, and these talented artists haven't stopped since.
An international promoter recalls how he came across the band in the Los Angeles area a few years ago: "While walking past a local club at 4 o'clock on a Saturday afternoon, I heard the faint sounds of a band playing, and my curiosity dragged me in. Onstage were three guys playing great music I did not recognize. I sat down, ordered a beer and wondered why there was nobody there. Half an hour later people started coming in, and by 5:30 the place was packed. The music got louder, and Rich Harper, with his tremendous musical creativity and playfulness held a tight grip on the crowd as it got wilder, and it was an amazing experience - like nothing I had ever witnessed before. It turned out to be a 3-7 pm Saturday gig, except the audience demanded an extra half set. I said to myself that music lovers around the world deserve to experience this!"
Since then, the band has toured the world, including their adoptive countries of Scandinavia, and such exotic locales as Asia and Australia. They were also humbled and extremely honored to be part of a group that entertained the U.S. troops in Iraq in 2004.
Details for all tours are available at the bands website http://www.richharper.com« less
Rich Harper learned to play blues guitar the traditional way by primarily being self-taught listening to and learning from the recordings of artists like Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Rory Gallagher, Freddy King, Duane Allman, and so on. Rich developed his own slide style using the same Coricidin medicine bottle as Duane Allman. After paying his "blues dues" in small blue collar towns throughout Pennsylvania, Rich moved to Los Angeles to gather like minded musicians and formed the Rich Harper Blues Band.
With the success of their debut CD, "Don't Think Just Play", the Rich Harper Blues Band was not only selected as one of Amazon.com's prestigious "Emerging New Blues Artists", but Taxim Records, a German label, joined the group's growing list of blues fans by placing another cut, "She's On Her Way Up", on their compilation album titled "More Desaster City Blues". It wasn't long before the band's name was popping up in blues magazines everywhere and blues societies were urging their members to check out the exciting new group who were carving out a unique niche for themselves in the blues world. By the time the band released their second CD, "Bottled Up Blues", Europe had jumped on board by making the band the #1 selling artists in Switzerland on Amazon's charts. Radio stations worldwide welcomed the new CD with open arms and this time one of the cuts, "As She Moved In (My Guitar Moved Out)", topped Rolling Stone Magazine's "MP3 & More Blues Chart" at #1. The international blues scene stood up, did a double take, and these talented artists haven't stopped since.
An international promoter recalls how he came across the band in the Los Angeles area a few years ago: "While walking past a local club at 4 o'clock on a Saturday afternoon, I heard the faint sounds of a band playing, and my curiosity dragged me in. Onstage were three guys playing great music I did not recognize. I sat down, ordered a beer and wondered why there was nobody there. Half an hour later people started coming in, and by 5:30 the place was packed. The music got louder, and Rich Harper, with his tremendous musical creativity and playfulness held a tight grip on the crowd as it got wilder, and it was an amazing experience - like nothing I had ever witnessed before. It turned out to be a 3-7 pm Saturday gig, except the audience demanded an extra half set. I said to myself that music lovers around the world deserve to experience this!"
Since then, the band has toured the world, including their adoptive countries of Scandinavia, and such exotic locales as Asia and Australia. They were also humbled and extremely honored to be part of a group that entertained the U.S. troops in Iraq in 2004.
Details for all tours are available at the bands website http://www.richharper.com
CD Reviews
Master of the Stratocaster
Eric G Black | 10/27/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This LP smokes. After playing with Rich for 5 years in a previous band, I witnessed first hand his masterful blues guitar playing. His songwriting just keeps getting better & better. The late Rory Gallagher would be very proud of one of his disciples."
Awesome stuff
Robert Seibert | 02/21/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I took a chance on this c.d. and I was not disappointed.
Rich Harper is Duane Allman on slide guitar, and Johnny Winter on vocals. Very nice stuff."
Full Throttle Blues
Eric G Black | Logan City, Queensland Australia | 11/11/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Out of the smog of LA comes the Rich Harper Blues Band, one of the meanest blues bands you're likely to hear. Rich, a self-taught guitarist was influenced by some of the great bluesmen of our time, B.B. and Freddie King, Rory Gallagher, Clapton, and the greatest person to ever slide a coricidin medicine bottle along a neck, Duane Allman. Like Duane, Rich also uses a coricidin bottle for playing slide.The album features ten tracks with five originals by Rich Harper. Don't Think Just Play opens with No More and Rich playing some wicked slide followed by his blistering fretwork on I Love The Woman, then some more slide but this time on the acoustic track Blue Eyed Blues. Some of the other tracks include Allen Toussaint's Get Out Of My Life, Woman and Rory Gallagher's Hands Off. The album finishes with the Trad. Guitar Rag, a beautiful slide piece in the piedmont blues style. Whether he's tearing it up on his guitar or punching out his heartfelt vocals on songs like The Thrill Is Gone or She's On Her Way Up, Rich Harper is definitely a bluesman to be reckoned with.
Don't Think Just Play is full throttle blues that will rock you!"
Thebest blues slide player I have ever seen
Eric G Black | 08/21/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It is truly a pleasure to witness an artist at his craft. The slide playing and blistering blues solos of Rich Harper should be heard by every blues afficianado. This is a CD that will remain at the top of the 'play' stack."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1