Tears of joy and lasting smiles were seen at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis on Friday night as father and son Minneapolis musicians Cornbread Harris and Jimmy Jam reunited after nearly 50 years of estrangement.
Earlier in the evening, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar read a proclamation declaring Cornbread “a timeless giant of American music,” followed by the debut of the duo Cornbread & Jam, followed by Cornbread & Friends, the band that plays weekly at Palmer's Bar, featuring some stunning solo performances by five brass players.
At age 97, Cornbread's stamina was impressive: he was onstage for over two hours, then signed autographs for another two hours. His musical talent was impressive, but what was most remarkable was his wit. He had sharp timing and a lisp.
When Swenson asked about Jimmy during a musical interlude in the opening segment, Cornbread's 65-year-old son, Grammy Award winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee James Samuel “Cornbread” Harris Jr., asked, “Are there any other musicians in this house named Jimmy?”
At one point, Cornbread gets serious and explains, “I've never been much of an emotional person,” before slyly adding, “Now I'm a Loverman.”
The Piano Man sang a long list of people who love cornbread in his signature “The Cornbread Song.” In celebration of his newfound honor, he improvised mid-song, “Congress loves cornbread,” to rapturous applause.
After Cornbread on upright piano and Jam on electric piano performed a duet of the instrumental “Blues in G,” Father commented, “You'll never find a song as good as that anywhere else.”
