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Cornbread Harris at the piano and band peforming at Sacred Heart. Photos by Michael Anderson.

It was a quiet week for me, music-wise, which made it all the more important to take in “Blues Night” at Sacred Heart Music Center on Friday, March 27.

The featured artist was James Samuel “Cornbread” Harris, Jr. Don’t let the junior suffix fool you, for this was no young whippersnapper strutting his take on old blues numbers. Nope, Cornbread is the real deal, having encountered and mastered that genre in his nearly 99 years on planet earth.

Neither was this a one-off gig by a noted blues artist. Rather, it was an exploration of the early development of the Minneapolis Sound to which Cornbread contributed significantly. The evening began with an interview of Andrea Swensson, author of Deeper Blues — The Life, Songs and Salvation of Cornbread Harris.

Journalist Jay Gable, who writes for the Duluth News Tribune and who shared time with her at MPR’s The Current, guided what was more of a conversation than a strict interview that comprised the first “set” of the concert.

Swensson grew up in Moose Lake and has been covering Minnesota’s music scene for years. Such work included reporting for NPR, writing for the Twin Cities newspapers City Pages and The Minnesota Star Tribune and hosting the “OK” and “The Local Show” for MPR’s The Current. In 2018 she won a Minnesota Book Award with her book Got to Be Something Here: The Rise of the Minneapolis Sound.

Swensson and Gabler spent some amount of time discussing Prince’s role in the Minneapolis Sound, which was a bit disconcerting, as it wasn’t immediately apparent as to how this related to the show the audience had come to see. However, it was through this work that Swensson became familiar with and a close friend of Cornbread Harris, which led to Deeper Blues.

The historical information that came out during this interview included the facts that Cornbread played at Fitger’s Brewhouse and the Bayfront Blues Festival (2005, 2009 and 2010). He was born in Chicago in 1927 and his family moved to St. Paul about the time little Jimmy was three years old and his younger sister was still an infant. He and his sister became orphans and were transferred between various foster homes until finally landing with their grandparents in St. Paul when he was 12. Swensson described researching Cornbread’s roots, ala the Finding Your Roots TV series and ultimately finding a photograph that included his mother, the first he had ever seen of her.

Swensson recounted Cornbread’s musical journey stemming back to the early days of jazz, from boogie woogie, swing and bebop, stretching to rhythm and blues and ultimately rock and roll. As a founding member of the Augie Garcia Quintet, he played piano on the band’s 1955 record, “Hi Yo Silver,” the first rock and roll recording to come out of Minnesota. It was inspired by one of Cornbread’s favorite blues tunes, “Going To Chicago.”

What is most impressive about Cornbread’s career is his continuing public performances through the decades such that he had a major influence on the Minneapolis Sound. He has had weekly gigs throughout the metro area but especially at the Capri in north Minneapolis.

“I’m a blessed dude!” This was something Swensson heard Cornbread exclaim frequently during the five-plus years she’s come to know him. Probably the most poignant time of his later years has been that of being reunited with his estranged son, James Samuel Harris III known as “Jimmy Jam.” The son happens to be a grammy-winning songwriter, musician and producer together with Terry Lewis. Jimmy Jam had reached out to Swensson, asking her to put him in touch with Cornbread. One of the upshots was father and son playing together at the south Minneapolis venue, Hook & Ladder back in 2024.

At last, with an acknowledgement by Gabler that we all had actually come to hear Cornbread Harris play, the first 45 minutes of the evening’s entertainment came to an end. Having met the Minneapolis music icon briefly in the green room before the concert, I was confronted with a physically limited elderly man in a wheelchair. It was difficult to imagine him as the leader of a blues band.

Yet, when Cornbread was rolled out to the grand piano and began to play at 8:05 pm, it was an amazing  transformation. Not only did he confidently play from his vast repertoire, but he sang in a voice that belied his years and physical condition.

Of course, Cornbread had a top-notch band backing him up. And I do mean backing him since he was clearly calling the shots. His band included longtime friend and accompanist Scott Soule (upright bass), Maurice Jacox (horn and vocals), Bobby J Marks (trumpet), Steve Clarke (saxophones and flute), Nathan Berry (trombone), Rocco Bolero (electric guitar) and Doug Hill (drums).

Several of these fellas have their own legacies and bands they’ve played with throughout the Twin Cities area. These include Steve Clarke and the Working Stiffs; Bobby J’s West Bank Social Club; Berry with Miss Myra & The Moonshiners, Brass Solidarity and Swingin’ On A Star; Maurice Jacox & We Still R, plus Willie and the Bees, The Butane Soul Review, and The Soul Tight Committee.

The band didn’t start out with classic blues but launched into a big band-sounding swing number that featured the brass section. “Night Train” was in the mix followed by “A Train” with Maurice Jacox on vocals. Another tune played was “Organ Grinder” that had a real New Orleans flavor with trumpet and a soprano sax part that approximated the wail of a clarinet. I didn’t catch the name of several songs and there wasn’t a playlist the musicians followed. Cornbread played whatever came to him with the others quickly following his lead.

With No Kings marches slated to happen across the country the next day, it was particularly apropos for him to sing one of his own songs: “Put the World Back Together” (c. 2010). He urged the audience to sing along, which we did. This was seemingly the end of the concert, but an encore was called for and the group played a more bluesy number than those previously performed. I must say the sound in this space on this evening was the best I’ve ever heard it, with the volume kept at a level that enabled us to understand all the lyrics and clearly hear the played notes.

For those who missed the show, you can see it streamed on the Sacred Heart’s YouTube Channel. Or maybe you’d like to see the phenomenon that is Cornbread Harris in person. If so, get down to Schooner Bar and Grill in south Minneapolis on a Sunday to attend the “Church of Cornbread,” which goes from 5 to 7 pm. I know I intend to!

UPCOMING: There’s lots going on this Friday, April 3: Janie and the Spokes will be at Sir Ben’s beginning at 6 pm. Also, there will be the debut of Honey Jane, a duo comprised of Jen Krussow (on guitar, not upright bass!) and Melissa Borer (on guitar and banjo). They will be playing some covers and a bunch of original songs at Duluth Cider beginning at 7 pm. Indecent Proposal and The Gemstones will be initiating Caddy Shack’s April “Rizzidency Night” from 7–11:30 pm also on this Friday. Oh, the choices!

A note for Erik Koskinen fans: he and The Go Rounds will be at Earth Rider’s Cedar Lounge on Sunday, April 5, 4-7 pm.

For those who have yet to see Woodblind Meets Teague Alexy, check them out on Monday, April 6, at Sir Ben’s from 6-9 pm. They put on a great show. See you out there!