Photo: D.K,. Harrell
Blues Guitarist, Vocalist, and Songwriter D.K. Harrell Signs With Alligator Records
Alligator Records is pleased to announce the signing of Louisiana-born blues phenomenon, D.K. Harrell, one of the rising young stars of the current blues resurgence. This Blues Music Award-winning guitarist with a soulman’s voice plays emotion-packed original music steeped in tradition, yet completely modern. While Influenced by the blues giants of the past, the soon-to-be 27-year-old Harrell is his own man with his own bright future ahead of him. His goal is to bring the blues back to fans of his own generation. His Alligator Records debut is expected in June, produced by famed musician and studio wizard Christoffer “Kid” Anderson.
Harrell — with his stinging, single-note string bending, deep soul vocals, and instantly memorable original songs — sounds like no one on the scene today. Using his many influences to create his own inimitable original music, Harrell is forging his own path. As Harrell explains, “The past gives a blueprint that you can add yourself to. I keep progressing by keeping all the genres in the mold. Since the 1970s, there have been two dominant styles of blues, Blues-rock and Americana. But there’s a third style, call it funk blues, that’s all but disappeared. We play it and make it fresh.”
Harrell is thrilled to be with Alligator. “It’s the main label to be on in the blues,” he says. “I’m overwhelmed in a positive way. I’m a huge Hound Dog Taylor and Koko Taylor fan.” He remembers, “When I was a kid maybe 15 or 16, before I really knew how to play, I sent Bruce (Iglauer, Alligator Records president and founder) some videos that were not very good. He got back to me with all kinds of encouragement, telling me to keep at it. Maybe he doesn’t remember that, but I do.”
And Iglauer is equally thrilled to have the young bluesman on the label. “D.K. Harrell is at the forefront of the exciting new generation of blues musicians. With his elegant guitar playing and straight-from-the-soul vocals, plus his mesmerizing talent as a live entertainer, he has, in just two years, moved from being an opening act to headliner at festivals all over Europe. This year, he will appear on festival stages across the USA, cementing his position as one of today’s (and the future’s) young blues stars.”
D.K. Harrell was born D’Kieran Harrell in Ruston, Louisiana in 1998. He first heard B.B. King at age two and responded by singing along. He sang in his church choir as a boy. Blues music films like Cadillac Records and Ray made him want to sing and play. He received his first guitar at 12, and by 16 was writing his own songs, initially inspired by B.B. King. The youthful Harrell spent hours studying every video of B.B. King he could find, learning not just King’s licks but his finesse, his stage craft, and his band leadership skills. His first paying gig was as an invited guest to the B.B. King Symposium in Indianola, Mississippi — where he played “The Thrill Is Gone” on King’s iconic guitar, Lucille — backed by members of King’s touring band.
In 2022 Harrell won the B.B. King Of The Blues Award for Preserving Traditional Blues Heritage from the Jus’ Blues Music Foundation. His debut album, The Right Man, was released on the Little Village label in 2023 to rave reviews and an instantly growing fanbase. Blues Blast magazine called him, “a prodigy destined for greatness.” His massive, immediate success led him to win the prestigious Blues Music Award for Best Emerging Artist from The Blues Foundation.
Harrell has toured the U.S. and Europe multiple times, with each return visit increasing the size of his audience. People, it seems, just can’t get enough of D.K. Harrell’s high-energy and always unpredictable live shows. And D.K is, as he says, “hell-bent,” on crossing the blues over to the next generation of fans. “We’ve done it before,” he says of previous blues resurgences throughout the years, “I know we can do it again.”
According to The Blues Roadhouse, “Harrell plays self-assured, musically astute and lyrically confident original blues. His songwriting is sharp, his vocals are strong and mature, and his guitar work is dazzling. Simmering with down-home flavor, D.K. Harrell is a major talent.”
D.K. Harrell website
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