Jimmy Lee Harris

Jimmy Lee Harris (1 March 1935 – c. 1983) was a renowned American Blues singer and guitarist from Seale, Alabama. A self-taught musician, Harris began his journey at the age of nine using a homemade "mouthbow" crafted from a green stick and nylon string. His early life was defined by the labour of the rural South, where he worked the fields of Phenix City and assisted his father in the production of moonshine.

At 19, Harris entered a period of extensive rambling, traversing the United States while holding a diverse array of labour-intensive jobs. His career included roofing in Tampa, driving railroad spikes in Sacramento, shrimping in Key West, and serving as a maintenance man for Dodge in Detroit. Despite his travels, he frequently returned to Phenix City, where he performed at local rent parties alongside his brother, Eddie Harris.

The duo’s musical style was deeply rooted in the traditions of the Lower Chattahoochee Valley, heavily influenced by a local musician named Seesa Vaughn. Their repertoire featured regional standards such as “Sitting Here Looking A 1000 Miles Away”. Harris was eventually "discovered" and recorded by music historian George Mitchell in 1981, preserving his unique contribution to the blues before his untimely death from a heart attack shortly thereafter.