>> Cathy: IT WILL BE INTERESTING.

>> Eric: THANK YOU, BOTH.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Cathy: APPRECIATE IT.

>> CATHY: SINGER AND PIANIST JAMES "CORNBREAD" HARRIS AND HIS BAND WILL BE PLAYING ON SUNDAY AT PALMER'S BAR IN MINNEAPOLIS.

THAT THE BLUESMAN IS STILL PERFORMING AT AGE 97 IS ONE THE MANY REMARKABLE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT "CORNBREAD" HARRIS.

YOU CAN LEARN MANY MORE FROM A NEW BIOGRAPHY.

THE AUTHOR WILL JOIN US IN A MINUTE, BUT FIRST LET'S HEAR FROM HARRIS HIMSELF.

IN THIS 2015 MINNESOTA ORIGINALS PROGRAM, HE TALKED ABOUT PERFORMING IN FRONT OF PEOPLE FOR THE FIRST TIME WHILE HE WAS IN THE ARMY.

>> WHEN I WENT TO THE SERVICE, I WOULD PLAY IN THE DAY ROOM.

THEY WOULD TAKE THEIR CHAIRS, SIT AROUND THE PIANO AND LISTEN TO ME PLAY MY LITTLE THREE, FOUR SONGS.

♪♪♪ AND WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE SERVICE, I SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT?

PEOPLE LIKE THE MUSIC, SO I WENT TO SMITH'S MUSIC COMPANY AND BOUGHT A GUITAR BOOK.

SO I LEARNED TO PLAY MANY MANY SONGS, AS LONG AS I GOT THE WORDS, THE MELODY, AND THE CHORD PROGRESSION, I COULD PLAY PRET NEAR ANY SONG, NOT THE WAY IT'S WRITTEN BUT REALLY CLOSE TO THE SONG.

♪♪♪ >> CATHY: ANDREA SWENSSON JOINS US NOW AND IS THE AUTHOR OF DEEPER BLUES: THE LIFE, SONGS, AND SALVATION OF CORNBREAD HARRIS.

IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU.

>> SO GOOD TO SEE YOU.

>> Cathy: GOSH, HE'S GOT SUCH A COOL STORY.

I MEAN, AN INTERESTING STORY BUT A REALLY TOUGH STORY.

I MEAN, CORNBREAD JUST HAD SO MANY CHALLENGES IN HIS LIFE.

>> HE ABSOLUTELY HAS.

YOU KNOW, HE WAS BORN ALMOST A FULL CENTURY AGO AND LOST HIS PARENTS AS A YOUNG BOY AND WAS PASSED AROUND TO ALL THESE FOSTER HOMES BEFORE FINALLY ENDING UP IN St. PAUL WITH HIS GRANDPARENTS.

BUT HE HAS THIS REALLY BEAUTIFUL WAY OF LOOKING AT THE WORLD AND HE SAYS, ALL OF MY HARDSHIPS JUST ENDED UP TO BE BLESSINGS.

AND HE REALLY COUNTS ALL OF THE THINGS THAT HE'S HAD TO OVERCOME IN HIS LIFE AS GIFTS.

>> Cathy: YOU KNOW, I THINK, AND I'M GOING TO JUST INTERRUPT YOU HERE MOMENTARILY, MY FRIEND, I BELIEVE YOUR MIC HAS FALLEN OFF.

SO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS PUT THE MIC BACK ON YOU.

AND WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT WITHOUT PEOPLE WATCHING.

AND TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE, THE CHALLENGE OF LIVE TELEVISION IS ALWAYS GOOD, RIGHT?

>> I LOVE IT.

>> Cathy: LET'S TALK ABOUT MUSIC BEING CORNBREAD'S LIFE AND I MENTIONED HIS TO YOU, THAT MY FATHER, FRITZ, LOVED AUGGIE GARCIA, THOUGHT HE WAS A COOL DUDE.

AND I DID NOT KNOW THAT CORNBREAD WAS WITH AUGGIE GARCIA, FOR FOLKS WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR, WASN'T AUGGIE THE FIRST ROCK 'N ROLLERS IN THE TWIN CITIES?

>> HE AS, PLAYING IN THE MENDOTA CLUB SOUTH OF HERE AND CORNBREAD WAS HIS FIRST PIANO PLAYER.

HE REALLY WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN DEVELOPING THAT SOUND OF THAT BAND AND HE RECORDED WITH AUGGIE AND WAS ON THE FIRST 45s THAT THE AUGGIE GARCIA QUINTET RELEASED.

AUGGIE WAS AN RECORD SAYING, IT'S REALLY CORNBREAD THAT BROUGHT THAT SHUFFLE OF TO OUR SOUND, THAT KIND OF R & B SENSIBILITY.

>> Eric: HE HAS A SON THAT TURNS OUT TO BE ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PRODUCERS IN HISTORY.

>> ROCK 'N ROLL HALL OF FAMER, JIMMY JAM, YES.

>> Eric: SO YOU PLAYED A PART IN GETTING THOSE GUYS TOGETHER?

>> I DID.

>> Eric: TELL US.

>> WELL, THEY WERE ESTRANGED FOR ALMOST 50 YEARS, WHICH IS REALLY INCREDIBLE TO THINK ABOUT.

THEY STOPPED COMMUNICATING AROUND THE TIME JIMMY WAS 15.

AND IN 2021, I GOT A TEXT FROM Mr. JAM, SAYING, DO YOU KNOW HOW TO GET AHOLD OF MY DAD?

AND I SAID, IN FACT, I DO.

AND I'D BE HONORED TO HELP YOU CONNECT WITH HIM.

AND I DIDN'T KNOW THE FULL STORY AT THE TIME, BUT THEN AFTER THEY MET, JIMMY TEXTED AGAIN AND SAID THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME WE'D SPOKEN IN ABOUT 35 YEARS.

>> Eric: HOW DID YOU DO IT?

>> I HAVE NO IDEA.

I THINK I'M MAYBE JUST AN UNASSUMING MIDWESTERN LADY AND THEY SAID, SHE'S THE ONE, SHE'S GOING TO PUT US BACK TOGETHER.

BUT OVER TIME, YOU KNOW, WE HAD O IDEA IF THAT WOULD BE A ONE-OFF MEETING.

AND NOW THEY'VE HAD THIS RELATIONSHIP THAT'S REALLY BEEN ABLE TO BLOSSOM.

WE REGULARLY HAVE ZOOM CALLS BETWEEN CORNBREAD AND JIMMY, THEY'VE BEEN IN EACH OTHER'S LIVES THESE PAST THREE YEARS.

AND NOW JIMMY'S COMING HOME TO PLAY WITH HIS DAD AT THIS BOOK LAUNCH SHOW WHICH I'M JUST BEYOND EXCITED ABOUT.

>> Cathy: I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THAT, OBVIOUSLY.

OBVIOUSLY, TOO, MUSIC IS CORNBREAD'S LIFE, RIGHT?

I MEAN, IT GIVES HIM, IT SEEMS, THE FACT THAT HE'S AT PALMER'S EVERY WEEK, HE'S 97, IT CLEARLY GIVES HIM LIFE, IN A SENSE, RIGHT?

>> YES.

IT'S ACTUALLY HARD TO TALK ABOUT WITHOUT SOUNDING VERY CORNY, BUT I REALLY DO THINK IT IS SUCH A TESTAMENT TO THE HEALING POWER OF MUSIC THAT CORNBREAD IS STILL GOING AND HE'S STILL GIGGING AND I SEE IT EVERY TIME I SIT ACROSS FROM HIM IN HIS DINING ROOM.

HE WILL WALK INTO THE ROOM AND HE'S MOVING, YOU KNOW, SLOWER THESE DAYS, HE IS 97, BUT THEN AS SOON AS THOSE FINGERS HIT THE KEYS, YOU CAN JUST SEE HIM ENERGIZED AND YOU CAN SEE HIM CONNECTING WITH HIS MUSIC AND IT'S REALLY REALLY TOUCHING.

>> Eric: HIS NICKNAME?

>> CORNBREAD, IT'S A SONG, HE WROTE A SONG CALLED CORNBREAD.

>> Eric: HOW DID THAT ONE PARTICULARLY STICK AS A NICKNAME?

>> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

I MEAN, I THINK IT KIND OF BECAME A CALLING CARD.

ACTUALLY BACK AS EARLY AS THE 1960s WHEN HE WAS PLAYING SUPPER CLUBS AROUND TOWN, HE WOULD PLAY THESE FOUR, FIVE-HOUR-LONG GIGS, ENTERTAINING PEOPLE WHILE THEY WENT OUT TO EAT, AVE A DRINK.

AND HE WOULD ALWAYS GET THIS REQUEST TO PLAY THE CORNBREAD SONG.

IT'S A REALLY LONG SONG, IT GOES FOR LIKE TEN MINUTES, HE LISTS ALL THESE THINGS THAT PAIR WELL WITH CORNBREAD.

AND I THINK IT JUST DELIGHTED PEOPLE ENOUGH THAT HE BECAME KNOWN AS CORNBREAD.

>> Cathy: CLEARLY HE DELIGHTS YOU.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM HIM?

>> OH, HE'S BROUGHT SO MUCH JOY INTO MY LIFE.

AND I'VE LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT HAVING A POSITIVE OUTLOOK AND DOING THINGS FOR OTHER PEOPLE.

I THINK THE CONNECTION THAT HE FEELS WITH PEOPLE THROUGH HIS MUSIC HAS REALLY TOUCHED ME PERSONALLY AND THE CONNECTION THAT I FEEL TO HIM NOW HAS JUST BROUGHT SO MUCH LIGHT INTO MY WORLD.

SO, HE'S JUST A GIFT.

>> Eric: CEDAR CULTURE CENTER ON THE WEST BANK, NEXT FRIDAY NIGHT, 8:00 P.M. >> BE THERE.

IT'S GOING TO BE A HISTORIC EVENING.

>> Eric: HAVE A GREAT TIME.

>> I