While pursuing a goal, a person may find himself in a new location. An article in Guitar Player about the Old Town School of Folk Music inspired Ric Harris to leave North Carolina and make his way to Chicago. After attending the Music Institute, Ric formed his own jazz group and appeared in the Chicago area until 1991. Ric returned to the music scene with a vision inspired by Gary Moore, Dickey Betts, and Tommy Castro. 

The jam sessions around Chicago helped Ric to redevelop his playing, finding the work of new artists, such as Mark May, Matt Schofield, and Coco Montoya, more compelling. Ric considered the blues as something defined by more than improvisation. Inspired by the works of the Allman Brothers Band, Ric views the solo as a part of the song, not the focus of it.

As a solo artist, Ric released his first CD, Open For Business, in January of 2019. Building on that production, Ric Harris and The Heat Merchants was started in 2021. With Cary Roberts on bass and Jim Semmelroth on drums, the band is taking Rockford by storm. Enjoy what you hear and let Ric know what you think.