Laid-Back Louisiana Southern Rock

Who doesn’t love some good ole Southern rock music? Creedence, Skynyrd, ZZ Top, The Charlie Daniels Band … The Allman Brothers. Legends. And while all of these groups are surely amongst favorites in the classic rock community, I’m here to tell you about a new favorite Southern rock artist (and band) you just don’t know yet.

Meet Dale Harris – singer, songwriter, guitarist, vocalist, and all-around awesome guy. What makes him unique is his multi-faceted ability to do pretty much anything, but relative to this article, I’ll clarify and add musically. In addition to playing lead in his band, the Dale Harris Band, he’s also a multi-instrumentalist, playing the rhythm guitar and drum set, and a singer/songwriter, who tries not to limit himself to just one style.

“When I’m writing songs, I try to write music in as many genres as possible so as not to pigeon hole myself,” said Harris.

Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Dale has been playing music pretty much his whole life. His father was a carpenter who exposed him, “to people from all walks of life.” In fact, it was one of his father’s concrete finishers, who ran the band at his local church, gave Harris his first snare drum.

“I fell in love with music and learned musicianship from watching those concrete finishers play gospel music after work and on Sundays,” he said, with the reflections of those days shining in his eyes.

Dale began guitar lessons at six years old, then started drum lessons with Lyman Mulkey as a teenager. After high school, Harris found himself playing in various local bands over the years, like The Black Box, Loverseed, The Invisible Men, The Roebucks, The Jazz Souls, and The Florida Street Blowhards.

Though he writes mainly Southern rock songs, Harris is inspired by the swamp pop, jazz, soul, and gospel genres. Taught by his father at a young age to read chord charts and play folk, country, and gospel songs on guitar, Dale credits The Charlie Daniels band with inspiring him to become a musician.

“My first source of inspiration came from the Charlie Daniels Band. When I heard ‘Devil Went Down to Georgia,’ well, it was the first time I heard someone just straight getting down on an instrument. It was my first example of trading solos. After that, I knew I wanted to become a musician; so, I did.”

Harris also credits Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, and Dr. John with being major influences on his music, which is ripe with laid-back style that paints a smooth surface over rough terrain and consists of topics like heartbreak, hoodlums, and home repair.

Currently he stays busy writing and recording music with his band, the Dale Harris Band. Harris leads the group on vocals, rhythm guitar, and drums, on occasion. Glenn Harris, his brother, plays lead guitar, and long-time co-writer Denvil Snyder plays bass.

Personally, one of my favorite tunes is “I Woke Up.” From those laid-back, catchy guitar licks to the buttery smooth vocals that ooze out of Harris when he sings, the songs aspects and focus just pull you in sip by sip. It’s catchy, it’s rockin’, and it’s just a damn good song.

And speaking of good songs, you should also check out “Dag Nabbit,” which, according to Dale, was inspired by watching Saturday morning cartoons. For more on that story, you’ll have to go to one of his shows and ask him the deets yourself!

“Yeah, that one tends to be “the hit” amongst the kids,” Harris laughed.

At the moment, he is in the process of recording demos for an upcoming album, and he currently has an EP available on Spotify and most streaming platforms. As far as upcoming shows, you can see the Dale Harris Band live at any of the below-listed shows, and be sure to catch him Halloween weekend doin’ his thang live at Phil Brady’s.

•             Oct 29                 Phil Brady’s, Baton Rouge

•             Nov 12              Oyster Bar, St. Francisville

•             Dec 1                La Davina Café, Baton Rouge

•             New Year’s         The Hilton Downtown, Baton Rouge

*(with The Florida Street Blowhards)

For further information on Dale Harris and the Dale Harris Band, and to stay up to date on live performances and album releases, visit www.jdharrismusic.com.

*photos provided by Dale Harris