About

Morgan Harris (she/they) is an Oregon-based guitarist specializing in traditional North American stringband (or ‘old time’) music. In contrast to the purely accompanying role the guitar often occupies in this space, Morgan’s distinctive playing technique allows the guitar to shine as an old time melody instrument, creating a rhythmic drive and a multi-layered resonance that is unique in the world of flatpicked guitar.
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On Morgan’s new record Alone Will Tell (released Nov 1st, 2024), she performs a collection of traditional tunes and songs with just her guitar and voice, drawn from historic source recordings of driving fiddle breakdowns, hypnotic banjo pieces and austere mountain ballads. This is the music she has continually found herself drawn to in quiet, solitary moments, and it has been shaped by long familiarity and patient questioning. Morgan’s first release as an out trans musician, Alone Will Tell is a meditation on the transformative potential of looking inward.

Music

I play traditional American string band music, often called 'old time' music - rural folk music from the period before commercial recording that is often centered on fiddle and/or banjo playing. Nowadays people are most familiar with the version of this tradition that comes from the Appalachian region, but other regional traditions exist across the US - for instance, in the deep South, the Northeast, and the Midwest.

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