Musician, Artist, Photographer, Human Being
Paul Henry Harris Jr, more commonly known as Hank Harris, is a South Dakota legend. He has played with The Red Willow Band, DD and the Fayrohs, and many more bands over a career that has spanned decades. As a solo artist, his gifted singing and songwriting have gained him many fans, both in the Black Hills and abroad, sidestepping the stereotypes that prevail in his chosen endeavor to construct a musical landscape of his very own. Many artists are content to sound like someone else instead of who they are, not Harris. You can hear who Hank is in his music.
Along with Bay Area producer Jimmy Goings and a small army of musicians, Hank has recorded nine solo albums (and most recently added his tenth, “Hank Harris 2.0”), produced another (Christy Lee Anderson’s “Awakening”), scored and recorded two documentaries for South Dakota Public Television, recorded two albums with the Deadwood Adams Museum entitled Deadwood Songbook and an SDPB video nominated for a Midwest Emmy, all while continuing to write music at an dizzying pace.
Unbeknownst to all but his closest friends, Hank is also a gifted photographer. His interest in photography started as a youngster and continued throughout his many fine arts courses during his college career and into adulthood. Today, Hank’s work with photography is as much a meditative practice as it is a pastime. His quirky eye and unique perspective make each photo a unique work of art, produced in very limited quantities. He delves into all these disciplines with the attitude of a wide-eyed explorer in a different land.