Belmont Agency>>Jazz & Cabaret Artists>>Allan Harris

Allan Harris is a performer who knows no boundaries. He moves from musical genres easily and with great passion. He is a vocalist who will move you, thrill you and above all excite you by his electrifying stage presence.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Allan was surrounded by music. His mother was a classical pianist and his aunt was an opera singer who turned to the blues. Because Aunt Theodosia attracted the attention of famed music producer Clarence Williams (the one who made Bessie Smith famous), he became a regular dinner guest and often brought along other performers such as Louis Armstrong. Once Armstrong even baby-sat and terrified young Allan with his "frog-like voice."

As Allan grew so did his enthusiasm for music. He was constantly encouraged to sing, so he did his first performance at the age of 8 for his class at school. He sang "Blue Velvet" and discovered that he was hooked. By the age of 12, he was studying classical guitar with Vladimir Bobri, President of the Classical Guitar Guild. Allan was also spending a great deal of time at his Aunt Kate's Soul Food Restaurant in Harlem where jazz greats stopped in after their gigs at the Apollo. Allan listened to them for hours tell their tales and express their dreams. On Sundays, Mrs. Harris would take him to the Apollo, and it was there he experienced the thrill of becoming a performer.

"After college without a nickel to my name, I moved to Atlanta and things started hoppin' for me," he says. "I was playing gigs at venues with J. J. Johanson (drummer for the Allman Brothers), members of the R&B band SOS, and T. Lavitz from the Dixie Dregs, but one of the highlights was opening for Lee Ritenour where I got to know the fabulous bassist, Nathan East who has since gone on to play for Eric Clapton and Phil Collins. I even produced the music for a fashion show with RuPaul. One of the greatest memories of my time in Atlanta is a gig where I travelled to China and took a walk along the Great Wall. In between all of this music, I even managed to indulge one of my hobbies, and open a dog training facility called Progressive K-9 where I trained for both obedience and protection."

Allan Harris has performed all over the world, from jazz and R&B clubs in Europe and Asia, to music festivals in Sweden, Turkey, Japan, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Holland, Italy, and many other countries. In 1987 he started Love Productions where he and his partner produced jingles and commercials at his recording studio, Track 1. This state-of-the-art midi-studio was set up by legendary Miami Sound Machine engineer Eric Schilling and was one of the first midi studios in South Florida. Allan went on to win South Florida's most prestigious arts award, the Pace Award, presented to him by Southern Bell. His band in South Florida was full of Latin luminaries, such as flutist Nestor Torres; percussionist extraordinaire Luis Enrique; saxophonist Ed Calle (from Julio Eglisias and Arturo Sandoval); bass player, arranger and composer, George Cassas of the Miami Sound Machine; and occasional vocal gigs with the Latin Superstar, Jon Secada. While performing in Miami for Sophia Loren, Tony Bennett saw Allan and convinced him to return to his roots in New York. He even took Allan under his musical wing and sponsored a showcase for him at Tatou in New York, where famous songwriter Sammy Cahn introduced Allan: "Frank Sinatra says his favorite singer is Tony Bennett, Tony Bennett says his favorite singer is Allan Harris, ladies and gentlemen I give you Allan Harris."

Allan's exciting concerts can be seen on "BET on Jazz" regularly as they air two of his live shows recorded at their studios and hosted by both Lou Rawls and Ramsey Lewis. He was also asked to perform at the first Jazz Awards Show sponsored by Billboard Magazine and "BET on Jazz," where you can catch Allan singing a haunting version of "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise." CNN's "Showbiz Today" referred to Allan as one of the 3 best male jazz vocalists in the country, and renowned author/journalist Will Friedwald, who wrote the books Sinatra!, Jazz Singing and Tony Bennett-The Good Life, calls him "my favorite young male singer." Listen to his music and you just may find yourself hooked on the passionate smoothness of Allan Harris. The legacy continues.