Rising musician Corey Harper will be performing at Proud Larry’s tonight as part of his cross-country tour.
Harper was born in St. Louis, but raised in Portland as his family moved out of the Midwest when Harper was around five years old. Raised with his uncle’s music, Harper grew up listening to famous ’60s and ’70s blues singers like Bob Dylan and James Taylor. Harper taught himself guitar at a young age and began writing and creating his own music. Harper went on to study music and literature in Eugene, Oregon, but dropped out of school to pursue his musical career in Los Angeles.
Photo courtesy of Instagram: @coreyharper
“I had a collection of music passed down to me from my parents and my uncle,” Harper said. “They were a huge influence on my music.”
The 22-year-old singer-songwriter will be performing songs from his EP “On the Run” and covers of famous songs such as Chance the Rapper’s massively popular “Same Drugs” and John Prine’s hit, “Angel from Montgomery.” Harper’s style of music and voice is comparable to the work of John Mayer, another musician that has been inspirational to Harper’s work. His unique acoustic style of music and storytelling lyricism has grabbed the attention of thousands from all over the country.
“I blend a lot of different styles in my music,” Harper said. “I’m stoked to be in Oxford for the first time and to be in a culture of great music.”
Harper’s music is becoming increasingly popular on different music platforms as his music on Spotify draws in around 600,000 listeners every month. Harper also has 200,000 followers on his verified Instagram account. A personal hit from Harper’s EP, “California Sun,” was featured in Rolling Stone, and according to his interview with Rolling Stone, he was selected to open for Justin Bieber’s Purpose tour for Bieber’s northwest coast performances. Harper’s future goals as a musician are to headline his own tour and to perform year-round all over the country.
“Meeting all these goals that you set for yourself is incredibly humbling and reassuring that you’re on the right path,” Harper said, regarding his success.
Doors open at 8 p.m.
