Today we’d like to introduce you to Harold Greene.
Hi Harold, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story in music began when I heard the song by Kansas “Carry on Wayward Son”. Mesmerized by the sound, I came to find out the name of the band and aspire to be able to re-create those kinds of textures. And about the same age, I got my first guitar, it was an acoustic guitar. My friends and I would write songs together, I was about 12 years old.
My passion for music grew throughout my 10 years as I played in my first country band, continued to sing and play keyboard at church, then joined the junior high choir and the jazz ensemble. In high school, I played in the marching band, the symphonic band, the percussion class, in the chorus, and I also studied in the music theory class. I was the quintessential music nerd. At age 17 I went on to study at Berklee College of Music in 1987. While there, I learned a deep and abiding appreciation for the art of jazz music, and I studied composition and jazz arranging. I was a guitar major there also, and they provided many opportunities for me to grow my basic fundamental knowledge of the neck and of chordal vocabulary.
When I moved back to North Carolina in 1989, I enrolled at North Carolina Central University, which was known as one of the few jazz degree programs in North Carolina at the time. It was a great experience, and I was studying with Dr. Ira Wiggins, who has become one of the most celebrated musicians in the triangle. At that time, the program was small, and he allowed us to play with his professional group on gigs. He also gave me opportunities to arrange for the big band and for the combos. During these years, I became integrated into the triangle music scene, playing as a regular with the North Carolina theater, and also with Brightleaf music workshop, which was headed by Lisa McKiver. Through her, I gained access to a lot of opportunities as an arranger, and became connected with the public school system, especially in Durham, North Carolina. In 1992 I graduated with a degree in jazz performance and was promptly brought on faculty at North Carolina Central as a jazz guitar instructor. At this point in my career, I was offered a double assistantship at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. For three years, I lived near Toledo, Ohio, and I became very active in the music scene there. I graduated from Bowling Green with a masters in guitar performance and wrote a 100 page thesis on 15 guitar solos over the “rhythm changes“ progression. I analyzed and transcribed each one of the solos by guitarists from George Benson and Charlie Christian to Pat Metheny and John McLaughlin, and many other of my favorite guitar players.
After completing my masters degree, I was offered two full-time college positions, I took the best paying one, at my alma mater.
This began my return to North Carolina and to the music scene there in. I continued working as a pit Orchestra guitarist with the Carolina Theatre, but also began doing gigs with the North Carolina Symphony, and eventually with the North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra headed by Jim Ketch, and was even honored to play Carly Simon’s opera, which was performed by the North Carolina Opera company.
In addition to these activities, I also led my own Jazz fusion group, which I recorded a full length, all original project with in Ohio, and then formed a group which performed some of that material in the triangle area.
This era of the mid 90s is when I got reunited with childhood friend and professional bassist Damon Brown. He was the bass player for the legendary Adrian Duke, who, at that time resided in Richmond, Virginia, performing his unique blend of Dr. John style stride piano with a Ray Charles influenced vocal style. This group, the Adrian Duke Quartet, eventually became interested in performing a highly individualized style, which brought together the New Orleans influences of Adrian with the jazz and blues and rock influences that Damon and I had. Our first infusion was created over the song Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash. Go check it out, it is on the album Ridiculous to the Sublime, by Grady‘s Hat. This is the group that gigged throughout Virginia, north and South Carolina, and some in Georgia. We traveled quite a bit playing a number of dives and also fashioned a trio version of ourselves that played a drummer less Nat Cole style of jazz with upright bass, and me on the hollow body guitar. Adrian, of course sang and played the piano. You can find us on Spotify. Anyway, those were great years in the late 90s and early 2000s. It was also during this period of time, especially 2002 when my journey took a decidedly spiritual turn. I was leading the music at the church, and the entire band was actually playing at the church. It was a paying gig for us. In fact, one of the drummers ended up playing with Grady’s Hat in the wedding band that we formed featuring the members of Grady‘s Hat with the late Carlton Miles, a very special drummer. One of the best in the triangle for sure.
Anyway, I got back into the roots of my own faith, and left higher education to pursue a career in music ministry. At that time I was working for the late Dave Bowman, Pastor of New Horizon Church in Durham. This turned into a directorship for me and lead me to my first full-time ministry in Peoria, Illinois in 2005.
During those years, I led the music program of a large mega church. I had probably four worship bands, acquire, and for bigger services employed an 18 piece big band/Orchestra. I wrote all the music for the program, and I also developed a studio there, producing tracks utilized in services and also encouraging the young people there, recording and producing their songs. Musically, while there in Peoria, I not only got to work with the church, but also became the conductor of the Peoria Pops Orchestra. This was one of the greatest thrills as a musician, to get to be “in school“ conducting the works of John Williams and classic composers every Monday night. I also got to lead their swing band, and even play drums with them for a season. They were also kind and let me sit in on second violin and on the upright bass and the guitar too.
In 2017, we decided to move back to North Carolina, due to an opportunity I had to serve at River of Life Church in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
I continue to work on my production skills there, and had the pleasure of producing some pretty Big productions with their choir, and a great rhythm section, including the Rouse Brothers. In fact, Carlo Rouse, a long time close associate became a partner with me arranging for various shows subsequently. One of the shows was for Donna McElroy, the background singer long associated with Amy Grant and producer David Foster. We partnered together to produce her Christmas show. She did with celebrated songwriter, Ben Ward, who at that time was directing a worship program in Atlanta. The second project we did was even bigger. Peoria, local and theater producer Bob Parkhurst, along with pianist Andrea Molina, contracted Carlo and I to write 30 arrangements for a show. They produced honoring the music of Peoria native Dan Fogelberg. Carlo handled a lot of the piano vocal scores, with me editing, and then I wrote all of the orchestrations for a chamber Orchestra and full rhythm section that we had including steel guitar, banjo, electric guitar, bass, drums, and auxiliary Keys along with Andrea‘s wonderful piano talent. It was quite a show with about 18 singers. We performed it in a refurbished performance hall in Peoria in somewhere around 2022.
I guess that kind of puts us in the present tense, with me living in Mebane, North Carolina, and producing local singer songwriter, Luke Schofield and his wife Hope. I also produced my daughter‘s first recording Unapologetic Eyes, her name is Anne AshLee.Both of these guys can be found on all of the typical platforms. In addition to producing music for them, I have also been working with director of Jazz studies at Illinois State University Thomas J Marko, who is a brilliant drummer and songwriter. He and I have been producing a number of songs which can also be found on YouTube under the title Mark of Truth. I am still active in music, education and have my own website at www.theAcademyofmusic.online.
As part of the Academy, I have published seven music method books, and continue to teach lessons online. In addition, I am teaching for Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville, North Carolina where I also run the TAG, my guitar ensemble. In addition, I teach at Emerson Waldorf high school in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and direct the Music at Antioch Baptist Church.
Although, in recent years, I have lost a lot of guitar playing ability because of my spinal stenosis, I am encouraged that my voice continues to grow, and I am still playing piano a lot. More of my energy in these days is directed toward producing other artists and looking for opportunities to build up young musicians as I do in my teaching gigs.
My most recent composition and arranging adventures have been writing the Easter cantata, and now the Christmas cantata which we will perform on December 7 at Antioch Baptist Church 11 AM. I have written parts for the choir, also for a small chamber Orchestra featuring some of the areas’ top musicians. Music has been good to me and I am really excited to be a part of the triangle community once again, this time as a 56 year old guy with his own Music school and production company. Thank you for the opportunity to tell my story, and feel free to reach out if you want to expand your musical horizons.
Love
Harold
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
my back went out on me in the early 2000s preventing me from playing for three months. My road to recovery included seated performances and finding the lightest possible guitars. One of those guitars was made by local guitar maker Ryan Gadow. I eventually recovered fully, but I never played my Les Paul again.
The biggest challenge physically along the way has been my spinal stenosis diagnosis that started about four years ago. When I first was diagnosed, I had broken my right leg and so a lot of muscles atrophied and I’m still recovering from it today. Fortunately, I’ve had a good physical therapist recently and have recovered my walking to a higher level and also I am noticing some improvement in my guitar playing. Having been a professional guitarist for so long, it took a little while to imagine myself in other roles. But I would say overall, that has probably been good for me as a musician.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have always been a teacher, and in everything I do I try to leave room for others to grow in their musical knowledge or in other ways germane to the process that we were involved in. I guess that’s the thing that might set me apart, but one of my most cherished achievements was getting to complete a full length recording project, which featured a lot of of my original music and arrangements. The name of the album is “Love“. You can find it on all the platforms. I spent about three months on each song, and the surprise song on the album happened after my sister passed away. I had finished the album and was ready to print, but my sister passed away and so I knew that I was gonna write a song for her. The song turns out to be the highlight of the album and is titled simply“Angela“. The song sought to answer the question of how a person with so many handicaps and difficulties, including extreme retardation and scoliosis, could be such an incredibly powerful influence in our family, attracting a wide array of family members when we held her memorial service. It turns out that her deficiency in the “pride of life“ was a great asset to her endearing and enduring memory, and abiding love, and cherishing that we all share who knew her.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I do not believe in luck, but I am very blessed to have had so many great opportunities to express my passion and talents in music professionally. I have had seasons of plenty, and seasons of hardship, but a constant in my life has been my love of sharing music, and it continues to be a refuge for my soul, and hopefully a blessing for those who I share with.
Pricing:
- www.theacademyofmusic.online
- Reasonably priced music lessons.
- @guitargreene on YouTube contains both educational and performance video products.
- @theacademyofmusiconline on TikTok
- @haroldgreenelove on instagram
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.TheAcademyofmusic.online
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haroldgreenelove?igsh=ajN4cGJ3c2h0cDh5&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1A4W2NV8nS/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haroldgreenemusic?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Twitter: https://x.com/greenehouseefx?s=21
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@guitargreene?si=Yh0VSAuHPcNqh4k4
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/SUUoHwCNcRqkAXudX7
