WEST BRATTLEBORO — Singer-songwriters Reggie Harris and Greg Greenway will appear in concert at All Souls' Church on Saturday, April 14, at 7 p.m., with their joint production, “Deeper Than The Skin - Building Bridges with Music.”
Longtime friends and collaborators, Harris and Greenway put their experiences together in “Deeper Than The Skin,” a concert presentation that explores their unique history as a white man from the capital of the Confederacy and a black man whose maternal ancestor was a slave on a plantation just outside of Richmond.
They have built a bridge between their lives through 30 years of friendship, shared goals, and a passion to build community.
The concert will be interactive, with plenty of opportunities for the audience to sing along. There will be time at the end for discussion.
Both Harris and Greenway have roots along the James River in Virginia. Born three days apart, they are “on a pilgrimage together,” according to a news release. “The racial divisions that are the reality of America started them in two different worlds,” the release continues, “but the amazing bonds of music, mutual respect, sheer admiration, and shared vision have brought them together as friends and colleagues.”
A performer, lecturer, and cultural ambassador, Harris has earned acclaim throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and around the world. He combines spirituals, roots music, historic inspiration, and moving original songs, often in the themes of unity and social justice.
Harris is a Woodrow Wilson Scholar and the music education director of the Living Legacy Project of the Unitarian Universalist Association. He co-leads tours through the historic sites of the Civil Rights movement in the South. He has led hundreds of programs on race and social justice.
Greenway has become a unique emissary for folk music. His “In the Name of Love,” a lead-in to the U2 classic, “Pride,” was the #5 song on the Folk DJ list in 2013. It has become a defining piece on his journey to becoming an international artist capable of addressing sensitive topics such as race.
One third of the successful folk trio, Brother Sun, Greenway has been heard on NPR's All Things Considered, Mountain Stage, and even Car Talk. He has played Carnegie Hall and had the honor for two years of having his song, “Rosa Parks,” play at rosaparks.org.