Hall of Fame vocalist Larnelle Harris releases memoir

Hall of Fame vocalist and five-time Grammy winner, Larnelle Harris, is releasing his first memoir entitled “Shaped Notes: How Ordinary People with Extraordinary Gifts Influenced my Life and Career.” Co-written with Christine Schaub, critically-acclaimed author of the Music of the Heart book series, “Shaped Notes” offers long-time fans and new admirers of Harris a glimpse into the childhood and early career of one of gospel music’s most renowned vocalists.

In “Shaped Notes,” Harris shares some painful memories that he has never shared publicly. He recounts an incident as a young child when his parents were in a physical altercation and he “shot” his father with a toy cap gun: “That gun was real to me in that moment…The noise stopped Dad in his tracks and he turned and looked at me, immediately let go of Mom, then went somewhere…”

He remembers his father going to jail for bootlegging: “I believe now that prison was part and parcel of God answering Mom’s prayer…pain is a part of God’s plan for our lives. It refines us…”

Harris recalls some specific incidences of racial tension during the early years of his career: “We were told the FBI was called and they somehow made certain our hotel was being protected…”

Harris’ career has spanned five decades, and is still going strong. This past year, he released a compilation CD featuring two new songs. The title track, “Disturb Us, Lord,” was played on radio stations nationwide and appeared on the National Inspirational chart. The music video for the song recently garnered the Gold Award for Best Music Video from the Christian Family Film Festival.

Later this year, Harris will release his first Christmas musical, based on his original song “All Year Long” from his Grammy Award-winning Christmas album.