George Bisharat/Big Harp George is a San Francisco Bay Area blues singer, songwriter, and chromatic harmonica player. The chromatic, compared to the 10-hole diatonic more common to blues, has a distinctive voice, giving Big Harp George a jazzy and sophisticated sound.
To date, George has released six critically-acclaimed blues albums. His fifth album, Cut My Spirit Loose (2023), earned him a highly-sought after Blues Blast Magazine nomination for Harmonica Player of the Year and his first album, Chromaticism (2014), was nominated for Best New Artist awards from the Blues Foundation and Blues Blast Magazine. He similarly received multiple Independent Blues Music Award nominations for his fourth release, Living in the City (2020), including Best Traditional Blues Band, Best Male Artist, and Best Traditional Blues CD.
George’s albums have received stellar reviews from top blues publications, including Living Blues, Blues Blast Magazine, and Blues Matters, and his music has been played extensively across the globe. Cut My Spirit Loose repeatedly ranked no. 1 on the Roots Music Report Top 50 Classic Blues Album Chart in 2023, and Big Harp George Does Christmas (2023), George’s sixth release and first ever Xmas album, also landed him top spots on the Roots Music Report Top 50 Holiday Album Chart.
His much-anticipated seventh album, Cooking with Gas, will be released on 5/15/24 everywhere you listen to music.
Before prioritizing music, George was a criminal defense attorney, award-winning professor of law at UC College of the Law, and expert commentator on law and politics in the Middle East.
Image credits: Emilia Rosales