COREY HARRIS EXPLORES THE CROSSROADS OF MUSIC, HISTORY, POLITICS AND
SPIRITUALITY

Telarc debut scheduled for release on July 24, 2007

In a career that spans more than a decade, Corey Harris has dug into
the roots of African-American music perhaps more deeply than any of
his predecessors. More than just a songwriter and musician, he is also
a pilgrim in search of the music's earliest origins, beyond the
Mississippi delta to the continent of Africa and the three-thousand-
year-old underpinnings of contemporary culture.

The culmination of this journey is Zion Crossroads, Harris' debut
recording on Telarc. Inspired and informed by his travels to various
parts of Africa over the past decade, the album captures some of the
most enduring elements of African-American music - blues, reggae, soul
and so much more - and infuses them with a sense of history, social
consciousness and spirituality.

"I wanted to make a record that was all roots-oriented," says Harris.
"I wanted to do a record that blended all of my influences, but that
was all original at the same time. So in that sense, there were two
sides to this project. There were the lyrics and the concepts and the
songwriting, and then there was the music of it all too. That's why I
called it Zion Crossroads. It's a spiritual record, but at the same
time, it's talking about the crossroads - not just the crossroads that
we all understand in the blues context, but in all the meanings of
that word."

The overall tone of the record is in many ways set by the opening
track, "Ark of the Covenant." The song celebrates the long and
mysterious history of the Old Testament vessel that held the stone
tablets containing the Ten Commandments as handed down to Moses by God
on Mount Sinai and delivered to the Israelites. According to Ethiopian
tradition, the Ark of the Covenant rests in the holy city of Axum, in
northern Ethiopia - a country that was formerly an Israelite nation
before its conversion to Christianity in the third century A.D.

The Ark and its history are the lynchpin that binds the diverse themes
of reggae music, Ethiopian culture and Old Testament law. "When you
see people who are into Haile Selassie I [ruler of Ethiopia from 1930
to 1974], they're often listening to reggae," Harris notes. "They're
often very informed about the Bible. They're often very knowledgeable
about Africa and Ethiopia. They may be from any persuasion, from any
culture on the planet. It's a movement. But at the same time, this is
more than just a reggae record...Whenever I make a record, I try to
speak to everyone and make it as international as I can."

Other noteworthy offerings from Zion Crossroads include "Heathen
Rage," a song that Harris co-wrote with drummer Keith Brown during a
trip to Ethiopia in September 2006. The song urges a sense of unity
among people of color in a world plagued by despair and disharmony.
On a more overtly political front, "Sweatshop" is a commentary on the
cheap labor in remote parts of the world that produces clothing that
is often taken for granted by consumers in the West.

"If you look at the tag on your garment, then you know why you got
such a good deal," says Harris. "If it had been made in your hometown,
you wouldn't be able to afford it. The parts of the world that thrive
do so because other parts of the world suffer. This song is about more
than just clothing. It's about where the wealth in our economy comes
from."

"In the Morning" is a song of thanks that Harris and his band have
been performing in their live shows for a while. "It's just a song
about getting up early and giving thanks," says Harris. "It talks
about the fishermen who have to get up early to make their catch. It's
the same for all of us. We have to get up early and have our nets
ready and be prepared to do whatever good works we hope to do on any
given day."

"Walter Rodney" is an ode to Guyanese historian, writer and
revolutionary who was assassinated for his beliefs. "He championed the
rights of workers, the poor and the oppressed," says Harris. "He was
really, truly a servant of the people."

In the final stretch, the poignant island-flavored ballad "You Never
Know" veers away from politics and tells a more personal tale of love
and devotion, while reggae-gospel hybrid closer, "Keep Your Culture,"
encourages black people everywhere to stay connected to their roots,
lest they lose their collective sense of cultural and spiritual
identity.

Harris gets help on the path to Zion Crossroads from producer Michael
G, the guitarist and co-founder of Easy Star All-Stars, the New York-
based reggae collective that crafted Dub Side of the Moon (2003) and
Radiodread (2006). Like Harris, he sees the project as a powerful
convergence of style, vision, history and culture: "The marriage of
Corey's socially conscious lyrics and the revolutionary sounds of
reggae make for a potent musical cocktail that arouses the body, mind,
and spirit."

Zion Crossroads is a rich tapestry of thematic layers - on one hand
diverse, yet all part of an unmistakable and fascinating whole. "I
just have to be true to where I am and what I'm doing at all times,"
says Harris. "It was just time for me to do this, because I'd been
edging toward different styles and edging toward something like this
in my records for more than a decade. I've never been content to do
the same thing over and over again."

Corey Harris' Zion Crossroads (CD-83656) is due at retail on July 24,
2007.

Press Quotes:
"Harris has never failed to connect with the wellsprings of his music,
be they Louisiana laborers or African girots. The music he and his
band make on Zion Crossroads is a testament to that quality; it's some
of the heaviest reggae recorded in the past 30 years... In an era where
sleazy 'dancehall' music threatens to obliterate the "cultural" reggae
that began to emerge from Jamaica in the 1970s, Harris offers a
powerful and resonating message." Tuscaloosa News

"The CD is laced with messages and conscious lyrics that would thrill
a lover of true reggae/roots and culture music. It's really a
celebration of the 'overstanding' of this journey we call life."
Carib News

"...one of the most vibrant reggae albums to be released this year."
Global Rhythm

UPCOMING TOUR DATES:

14-Jul-07
Blues by the Bay Festival - SOLO
Eureka
CA

11-Aug-07
Shenandoah Valley Music Festival - SOLO
Orkney
VA

17-Aug-07
The Five Spot - SOLO
Atlanta
GA

18-Aug-07
One World International Music Celebration - TRIO
Horshoe
NC

25-Aug-07
Gravity Lounge - TRIO
Charlottesville
VA

07-Sep-07
Beloit College - Pearsons Quad
Beloit
WI

20-Oct-07
Footmad Concert Series - TRIO
Charleston
WV

08-Feb-08
Blues Alley - TRIO
Washington
DC

09-Feb-08
Blues Alley - TRIO
Washington
DC

10-Feb-08
Blues Alley - TRIO
Washington
DC

# # #

For more information visit: www.coreyharris.com / www.myspace.com/coreyharrismusic
/ www.telarc.com

US Reggae Radio/Press Contact:
Russell Gerlach - Foundation Media/PR
Phone: (562) 948-3008 / E-Mail: reggaeruss 'at' aol.com