Soul legend Betty Harris will be heading to Australia in a couple of weeks to play the Queenscliff Music Festival and one very special night of soul in Melbourne.
Harris talked to Undercover about her experiences playing in Australia, to a crowd that doesn't exactly get a daily dose of authentic soul, "I think I was more in shock then they were, the house was packed and ready for me. They made me feel as if I was home. They knew all my songs, "Cry to me", "Nearer to You", "Ride Your Pony", "I'm Evil tonight" They knew them all.""Let's define "Soul Music" It is music sung and played from the inside of one's very being that covers mankind and all music." She explains, "What I do, comes from my soul, my heart and is universal. Most of all, it has no Barriers. Because it's felt, my Aussie fans react the same as anywhere else in the world. They are Soul Fans. They connect to what they hear. "We connect" and I love them!"
Betty Harris is more than just a soul singer, she is a legend who helped shape the sound that years later became known as "soul music".
Harris's first single 'Cry To Me' was released in 1963 and instantly became a radio hit where she was loved nationwide. She never changed her style to suit the times, she just continued to do what came naturally to her.
She reminisces on the past, saying "Music is very seldom recorded the same as in the 50's, 60's and 70's. So much has changed and true sound is lost. The talented engineers, artists, producers and musicians, in most cases were connecting in what they were recording."
When she hits Australia she will be playing with the Melbourne based Soul-Funk Allstars, who, according to Harris herself are "some of Melbourne, Australia's most gifted, hard working musicians."
You can check her out at the Prince of Wales on Friday, November 17 or at the Queenscliff Music Festival in Queenscliff, Victoria from November 24 - 26.
