The foundation of Harry’s art is the music of his native New Orleans, where he began performing as a pianist and vocalist at the age of 5. He was schooled by two of the city’s keyboard legends – James Booker, who allowed a pre-teen Harry to sit at his elbow in local clubs, and Ellis Marsalis, who provided more structured instruction during Harry’s teenage years. When Harry left for New York at age 18, he was equipped with a precocious command of jazz and popular music styles.
Harry’s career took off a year later, when he signed with Columbia Records and revealed his stunning piano technique and vivid musical imagination on his self-titled debut album. He reached multi-platinum success with his soundtrack to "When Harry Met Sally…," the celebrated 1989 comedy by director Rob Reiner and Harry’s first performance with a big band.
In the 90s, Harry became an on-screen presence in roles that found him working alongside a host of talented actors. Hailed as “poignant” in the character study "Little Man Tate" (directed by and starring Jodie Foster) and “scarily effective” as a killer in "Copycat" (with Holly Hunter and Sigourney Weaver), Harry further displayed his range as the romantic lead in "Hope Floats" (with Sandra Bullock), the action features "Memphis Belle" and "Independence Day," and the improvisational "The Simian Line." His voiceover skills were also featured in "My Dog Skip" and "The Iron Giant."
The decade also saw Harry build on his early musical successes while revealing new facets as a composer and bandleader on a series of best-selling albums. His songwriting skills, first displayed on "We are in Love" and "Blue Light, Red Light," extended to funk on "She" and "Star Turtle," then reestablished a romantic focus on "To See You." "When My Heart Finds Christmas" became one of the most successful holiday releases of all time, as well as the basis of Harry’s first Network television special. Come by Me, recorded with the big band Harry had led for a decade as well as a full orchestra held its place atop the Billboard charts for several months.
With his lead role in the ABC production of "South Pacific," Harry began making his mark in the world of television. He quickly garnered a recurring role in the groundbreaking sitcom "Will & Grace," starred in the Lifetime film "Living Proof," and was featured in a four-episode sequence of the popular "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Harry brought his music to the small screen with a Harry for the Holidays Christmas special on NBC(based on his acclaimed second seasonal hit album), his Emmy-winning PBS specials Only You in Concert and Harry Connick, Jr. in Concert on Broadway, and the animated tale The Happy Elf, based on one of Harry’s original songs.
In 2013, Harry returned his focus to original music with two albums of complementary material. Smokey Mary, a limited release celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Krewe of Orpheus that Harry co-founded, captures the Mardi Gras spirit of New Orleans and all of its citizens and contains nine new Connick songs, while eleven more are included on Every Man Should Know, a collection that touches on some of Harry’s deepest feelings about life and love.
Harry has been awarded with three Grammy awards, two Emmy Awards, two Tony nominations and induction into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. He's seen sales of over 28 million albums and a slew of rave reviews.
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Harry Connick Jr Biography
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