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Chris Harper

“Swississippi Chris” Harper has followed his passion to become the thing he believes he was destined to be, a bluesman. It’s a long road from the “Gold Coast” of Zurich, Switzerland to Chicago, but to Chris Harper it was always just a dream away.

Music was always a big part of his life; he played flute as a 5-year-old and later learned harmonica. As a teenager, he toiled as an apprentice learning offset printing by day, and he played bass in a variety of jazz & rock bands at night. In his twenties, he pursued two zen-like adventures -- living on the beach and surfing in Sri Lanka, followed by a hitch-hike journey from New York City to San Diego.

Later, he visited Chicago, where hearing live blues had a very deep impact on him. He befriended bluesmen like Chico Banks and Billy Branch. After hearing Chris play, the great harmonica stylist Sugar Blue took him under his wing, disciplining his technique with rigorous practice, which freed him to focus on melodic innovation. The die was cast

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Kenny Neal
guitar, electric

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