| Harper Simon | |
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Harper Simon performing in San Diego, California on December 7, 2009 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Harper James Simon |
| Born | 7 September 1972 New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Indie pop Indie rock |
| Occupations | Singer-Songwriter, Music Producer, |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1980–2001, 2005–present |
| Labels | Concord Records, Independent |
| Associated acts | Menlo Park, Sean Lennon, Paul Simon, Money Mark, Jena Malone, The Heavy Circles |
Harper James Simon (born September 7, 1972) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and producer. He is the son of musician Paul Simon and Paul's first wife, Peggy Harper.[1]
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At the age of 4 Harper James Simon appeared on Sesame Street singing "Bingo" with his father Paul Simon for a segment explaining how to record an album.[2] Many of Paul Simon's lyrics include references to Harper, most notably "St. Judy's Comet" and "Graceland" (though, in fact, Harper recently said he never actually went to Graceland with his father).[3] After attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, Harper moved to London for several years, where he played with and wrote for the band Menlo Park.[4]
On October 13, 2009 Simon released his self-titled debut album on his own Tulsi Records. He produced the album himself, enlisting producer Bob Johnston to help him put together a band for a series of recording sessions in Nashville. The band included harmonica player Charlie McCoy, pedal steel player Lloyd Green, drummer Gene Chrisman (Dusty in Memphis), bassist Mike Leech (Elvis Presley's Suspicious Minds), pianist Hargus Robbins, (Patsy Cline's Walkin' After Midnight), and guitarist Al Perkins.
The Nashville sessions resulted in basic tracks for four songs on the album: ‘Ha Ha,’ ‘All I Have Are Memories,’ ‘Tennessee’ and ‘The Shine’. He then completed the album in Los Angeles and New York, with contributions from Inara George, Aaron Espinoza (Earlimart), Petra Haden, Sean Lennon, Yuka Honda, Adam Green, Eleni Mandell and Joan Wasser. Also making appearances: Steve Nieve, Steve Gadd, and his father Paul Simon. Tom Rothrock mixed the album.
In 2005, Harper participated in Quantum Shift, a concert that aided humanitarian efforts for survivors of the South Asian Earthquake that occurred on October 8, 2005, claimed more than 73,000 lives and left 3.5 million people homeless in Pakistan.[5] He accompanied Suphala, Edie Brickell, Sean Lennon, Yoko Ono and Paul Simon on stage in New York City.[6]