Rufus Harley was a jazz bagpipe player from the Germantown section of Philadelphia. My friend John was into him and when I got out of the Navy and was living with John in Germantown he got me to go out and see Rufus Harley. We saw him several times and once at one of those concerts in a neighborhood park where he shared the stage with that other neighborhood jazz player Sun Ra. That was quite the show.He traveled all over the world as a jazz bagpipe player wearing a kilt and he always talked about Philadelphia. He also gave out little statues of the Liberty Bell wherever he went.
He was active right up until his death in 2006. He played with many other artists including John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Mann, Sonny Stitt, The Roots and Laurie Anderson.Courage: The Atlantic Recordings compilation was released by Rhino after his death.
There is a great clip of him on the old TV show I've Got A Secret in 1966 on YouTube here.
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