Anne Harris (musician)

Anne Harris
Anne Harris at the Liri Blues fest., Italy, in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Anne Harris
Born	Yellow Springs, Ohio, U.S.
Genres	Pop rock, country, blues, folk-rock
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, violinist, recording artist, actress
Instruments	Vocals, violin, mandolin
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Rugged Road Records, Spiffy Pictures
Associated acts	Jack's Big Music Show, Cathy Richardson, Otis Taylor (musician)
Website	www.anneharris.com

Anne Harris is an American singer, songwriter, violinist, recording artist and actress based in Chicago, Illinois. She has independently produced and released five studio albums on her record label, Rugged Road Records: Anne Harris (2001), Open Your Doors (2003), Wine and Poetry (2005),Gravity and Faith (2008), and Come Hither (2015). A live album, Live at the Acorn Theater, was released in 2008. Her music has been described by various writers as incorporating a variety of influences, including traditional Celtic music, American folk-rock, Afrobeat, soul, and chamber music. For lack of a specific genre label, her work has been dubbed "conscious music" which refers to music and lyrics that have some basis in a spiritual, humanist philosophy.

Harris grew up in Yellow Springs, Ohio, home of Antioch College. The earthy, liberal and progressive environment of her hometown remains an influence in her songwriting to this day. She began studying classical violin at the age of eight and eventually attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where she earned a degree from the School of Music. After college, Harris moved to Chicago and worked as an actor in theater and commercials for a few years before returning to music around 1997. She worked for a while with a number of local Chicago bands, notably Poi Dog Pondering, building a strong reputation for her instrumental talent. Over time she began writing and performing her own music.

Along with her recorded work, Harris has performed at the North by Northeast music festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has sung the U.S. National Anthem at a Chicago Cubs baseball game and was awarded "Album Artwork of the Year" honors at the 2006 DIY Music Festival in Los Angeles for her Wine and Poetry CD packaging.

Harris continues to play violin with other notable national artists. She's currently touring with trance-blues innovator and 2009 Blues Music Award winner, Otis Taylor and also appears with Cathy Richardson Band and Jefferson Starship.