Search - Erin and Neil Harpe :: Delta Blues Duets

If you like listening to crackly old records, and wish you had been around to see Bessie Smith and Memphis Minnie back in the day, you don't want to miss Boston guitarist and chanteuse Erin Harpe. Her vocals and fingerpicking are at once authentic and totally unique, taking you on a trip to the 1930's delta. Erin's new CD, "Delta Blues Duets," is here! In a genre that is often dominated by men, Erin Harpe is breaking new ground as a very accomplished female guitar player with a soulful voice and feel for the blues. Playing acoustic delta blues in the vein of Memphis Minnie and early Bonnie Raitt, Erin plays guitar and sings the blues like no other. Wherever she goes, Erin is winning over new audiences with her original and passionate take on the blues. Growing up in the Washington DC area, she began playing the guitar in her teens taught by her father, bluesman Neil Harpe. She soon began performing at folk festivals, coffee houses, bars, and parties in the DC area, developing a strong blues guitar and vocal style of her own. Erin relocated to Boston to develop her music career, where she met blues talents such as Paul Rishell and Susan Tedeschi. Since moving to Boston Erin has played at many venues including the original House of Blues, the Middle East, Harpers Ferry and many more. She has opened for Rounder Records national touring act the Tarbox Ramblers among others. She was also the first solo act to participate in the Boston Blues Challenge, where she made it to the finals, winning her night and beating out six blues bands. She is played regularly on Boston-area blues radio shows, and counts among her fans veteran WBOS radio DJ Holly Harris. Raw and unaccompanied Erin's unique take on the blues is sure to make a lot of new fans. Erin s first solo CD Blues Roots, was released by Juicy Juju Records in January, 2002. On it she performs songs written by such blues legends as Memphis Minnie, Bessie Smith, and Tommy Johnson. Juicy Juju Records is proud to announce the release of Erin s second CD Country Blues Duets, on which she is accompanied on vocals and guitar by her father Neil Harpe. The duets feature harmonized vocals and dueling finger picking acoustic guitar parts, just like Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe! The ten-song CD was recorded at Mix One Studio in Boston MA and mastered and Makeshift Mastering in Hyde Park MA. In addition to her solo performances, check out Erin's electro dance rock band Lovewhip.