Jim Schwall, Rick Harris

press release: On Saturday, August 8, the historic District #1 Schoolhouse will be the venue for a concert with two area talents, Jim Schwall and Rick Harris. The Schoolhouse is located at 110 N. Second Street in Mount Horeb, and the event will begin at 7:30 PM. Each brings a rich history of musical accomplishments. Tickets on the day of the show are $12. Advance tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Fisher King Winery in Mount Horeb.

Rick Harris has been a working musician since the mid-1960s, first as a drummer in both rock and blues bands playing throughout the Midwest and more recently on guitar performing his own original vision of American roots music. He currently lives in Mineral Point and spends his days pursuing his two passions: songwriting and painting. Rick has released four CDs and his paintings are in private collections in both the U.S. and U.K.

Jim Schwall was born in Chicago, Illinois, and currently resides in the Madison area. A singer-songwriter, he plays guitar, as well as mandolin, bass guitar, and other instruments. He studied music at Roosevelt University. There he met Corky Siegel, and became interested in blues music. Schwall and Seigel formed a blues duo in 1964.

The Siegel-Schwall Band became very popular, and by 1967 it was touring nationally, performing at large venues like the Fillmore West and sharing the bill with well-known rock bands. Between 1966 and 1974, they released ten albums!

Jim Schwall has been involved in numerous other musical projects. He plays guitar and accordion in the band SoDang Yang, and is the bassist for the Cajun Strangers. He holds a PhD in musical composition from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1993, and has taught music at the college level.