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Rich Harrison
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| Rich Harrison has had an affinity for music since his youth. Hailing from the mid-Atlantic area, he grew up in Maryland and attended school in Washington, DC. A classically trained pianist turned trumpet player, Harrison's hobby eventually turned into a passion, which has blossomed into a full-fledged career.
Harrison's background in piano laid the foundation for his creative ability to listen to the radio and replay what he heard, which transformed into a knack for playing the keyboard. As a teenager in high school playing in local bands, he honed his talent and applied for the DC Summer Youth Employment Program, instituted by Marion Barry, which provided DC youth with opportunities to gain experience in their fields of interest. Through this program he met his mentor who was trained in both classical western and the eastern "ear" philosophies of music. Under the tutelage of his mentor, Harrison learned how to "feel the music," and his mentor further provided opportunities throughout the year for him to perform in addition to hosting his own jazz morning show.
Upon entering Howard University, Harrison was a History and hip-hop music major. Post graduation, he decided to pursue music full-time. He was briefly signed to Island Records as an in-house producer, and once that deal ended, the knowledge he gained gave him the confidence to approach fellow DC native, former Bad Boy producer Chucky Thompson. In 1999, Thompson gave Harrison an opportunity to produce the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige, and "Beautiful Ones" was created for her album Mary.
By early 2000, Harrison began a full search for an artist to showcase the sound he wanted to present to the masses and discovered Amerie. Within the course of the year, Amerie was signed to his production company Richcraft, Inc., and then they signed her to Columbia Records. Harrison took his first stab at song writing with Amerie and her hit debut single "Why Don't We Fall In Love," became the anthem of the summer of 2001. With the release of Amerie's album All I Have, written and produced by Harrison, his sound finally had a vehicle to be heard.
In the summer of 2002, Harrison signed with EMI Music Publishing. A production deal for Richcraft, Inc. via Columbia Records soon followed, along with a song deal via Sony Music Entertainment. The first artist that Harrison worked with through his Sony deal was Kelly Rowland producing the song "Can't Nobody." This relationship opened the doors for him to work with former Destiny's Child starlet Beyonce, on her solo debut Dangerously In Love to co-write and produce the number one first single "Crazy In Love," in addition to "Be With You."
The 24-year-old writer-producer is looking to continue taking his talents to the masses and remain in the business of developing acts with his Richcraft, Inc. Harrison has signed a female solo artist Tommy from Columbus, OH, rapper Gripp of Delaware and is continuing with Amerie on her sophomore effort. Recently, Harrison has been busy in the lab bringing his A-list sound and marrying it with A-list artists including Janet Jackson, Usher, Alicia Keys and Gwen Stefani, and to think, this is only the beginning.
2005 is just starting but already it's proving to be a busy year for Grammy-winning producer Rich Harrison: "Take your Hand," from Usher's multi platinum album Confessions is the first song featured on Harrison's groundbreaking DVD mini movie, the ladies of Destiny's Child recruited him to help them look for a "Solider," and after a hiatus from the music industry, Jennifer Lopez is back with the hit single "Get Right," written and produced by Harrison.
While crafting these hits Harrison also made time to get back in the studio to do a sophomore album with his Richcraft protégé, Amerie. The first single "One Thing," featuring Eve, is gaining heat on the R&B charts. January isn't over and already Harrison has a second hit.
In 2005 it's also out with the old and in with the new for Richcraft Inc. After wiping his artist roster clean, Harrison teamed up with EMI Music Publishing to look for Richcraft's next star. On January 22 they hosted the Richcraft/EMI Music Publishing talent search. Howard University's Cramton auditorium was jam packed with hopefuls trying to grab the Grammy-winner's attention in hopes of a chance at stardom. |
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| 1 Thing |
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| Soldier |
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| Take Your Hand |
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| Crazy In Love |
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| Talkin' To Me |
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Big Jon Platt
