Jesse Harris

Jesse Harris (born 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and guitarist. He is best known for his songwriting on Norah Jones' album Come Away with Me, including the single "Don't Know Why," for which Harris won a Grammy Award. He has contributed as a producer and/or songwriter on albums by more than a dozen artists, including Jones, Melody Gardot, Madeleine Peyroux, Nikki Yanofsky, and Lizz Wright, and has worked as an instrumentalist with these and other artists. He has released ten full-length albums as a solo artist or group member with his latest,Through the Night, released in August 2010. He also wrote and produced the soundtrack to Ethan Hawke's movie The Hottest State. Harris's music has been described as "blend[ing] folk, rock, jazz, and world rhythms."

Harris began his professional career teaching guitar lessons and performing in "various musical groups," before forming the duo Once Blue with singer/songwriter Rebecca Martin. Once Blue released its self-titled debut on EMI Records in 1995. A planned sophomore album was never released, but nine tracks recorded for that album were included on a 2003 re-release of Once Blue. Harris subsequently signed as a songwriter with Sony Publishing and used his advances to help finance three self-released recordings by the newly-formed Ferdinandos, a group consisting of Harris, Tony Scherr, Tim Luntzel, and Kenny Wollesen. Later, Harris's work with Norah Jones would lead to a major-label deal for the Ferdinandos, and they released two more albums with Verve Records. As a solo artist, Harris subsequently released the albums Mineral, Feel, and Watching the Sky on his own label, Secret Sun Recordings. Secret Sun also released singer Sasha Dobson's Modern Romance, on which Harris contributed as a producer, songwriter, and guitarist.

In 2007, Ethan Hawke approached Harris to write the music for The Hottest State, which Hawke was writing and directing. The soundtrack included songs selected from Harris's previous releases, as well as a few new songs and a score written by Harris. Harris performed a few of the songs himself, and commissioned performances of others by artists including Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Feist, Cat Power, and M. Ward. Harris also acted in the movie.

Harris has toured in North America, South America, Australia, Europe and Japan, including opening for Norah Jones, American Music Club, Bright Eyes, Joshua Radin and Ani DiFranco.

Harris was also a judge for the 10th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

Harris recorded a new version of his song "The Secret Sun" in August 2010 that's being featured in Corona's "Find A Beach" TV Campaign.

Harris was born in New York City, along with his fraternal twin sister Jenny (a business journalist and television producer married to CNBC anchor and reporter David Faber), the son of As The World Turns actress Marie Masters, and lawyer Jay Harris (the law firm of Hall Dickler Kent Friedman & Wood). Harris is a graduate of Cornell University class of 1991 where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in English.