D.K. Harrell bewees in het Zonnehuis in Amsterdam-Noord dat hij een rijzende ster is in de blueswereld.
Met zijn energieke show, humor en warme uitstraling bracht hij persoonlijke nummers van The Right Man en nieuwe songs van Talkin’ Heavy.
Zijn optreden toonde groei, muzikaliteit en pure liefde voor de blues.
D.K. Harrell is slowly becoming a big name in the blues world. After his performance at the Moulin Blues Festival in 2024 and the release of his debut album, The Right Man, he made such an impression that he was even invited to perform at the Holland International Blues Festival in 2025.
This is his first club performance in the Netherlands. I was very surprised by the venue for this first concert: the Zonnehuis in Amsterdam-Noord.
After his performance at North Sea Jazz, where he rocked the house, and the television coverage, I expected Harrell to perform at a larger venue—for example, one of the halls at TivoliVredenburg.
But let me not judge too soon.
Het Zonnehuis is a historic building with character, a true “large living room for the neighborhood.” It was built as a community center for workers in the new garden villages in 1932 and is a classic example of the Amsterdam School style.
This is still evident inside: lots of woodwork and a balustrade for seating, ideal for wheelchair users. I love these kinds of theaters. The Luxor in Arnhem is another beautiful old cinema that has been converted.
After a band introduction, during which the instruments were fine-tuned one last time, D.K. Harrell was called onto the stage by his bandleader and mentor, Orlando Henry—smiling broadly, as we know him.
That smile stayed with him for the next two hours and fifteen minutes. Already during the first song, “Leave It at the Door,” he turned his backside to the audience, waddling like B.B. King’s James “Boogaloo” Bolden in his prime.
The audience loved it, and he wrapped them around his finger the whole evening as if he’d been on stage for decades. In reality, he’s not even thirty yet.
While I’m Young brought the swing to the show; from the beautiful balustrade, you could see many people enjoying the dance.
Harrell’s latest album, Talkin’ Heavy, is deeply personal. Between songs, he often explains the origins of the song.
Without a father, Harrell spent a lot of time with his grandfather. He introduced him to all kinds of roots music—from Little Johnny Taylor to B.B. King, Sam & Dave, and James Brown.
His most important life lesson finally came in the song “Life’s Lesson”—”Be True to Yourself.” A wonderful slow blues with a clear narrative. But the party continued: Harrell invited two women onto the stage to dance with him.
The music didn’t suffer. The band took over magnificently during all of Harrell’s antics, until the “boss” took over again with his superb guitar playing.
The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the eleven-minute version of “The Right Man,” the title track from his first album.
On What Real Men Do, he explained that he’d met a friend at the Holland International Blues Festival.
He was quite fond of her; she was in the audience, and he asked her up on stage.
He literally got down on his knees, crawled across the floor, and finally lay flat at her feet. The front rows visibly enjoyed it.
After Grown Now and Honey Ain’t So Sweet, Harrell shared a beautiful personal story about the difference between music in a Catholic church and a gospel church.
In the gospel church, it swings, and you always come back. Even if you have the blues, sleep in a car, have no money, and feel closer to the devil than to God—you’re welcome.
“Blues and gospel are just the same.” A beautiful story for Praise These Blues.
Of course, I missed some songs. Last month, Harrell participated in Joe Bonamassa’s B.B. King project. On that album, he plays a fantastic version of “Every Day I Have the Blues.”
I would have loved to hear that song live. My favorite, “Hello Trouble,” wasn’t played either. But it was a fantastic evening: so much improvisation compared to his albums, and also much less slick.
In just over two hours, only about thirteen songs were played, and there wasn’t a dull moment. Musically, Harrell has clearly grown.
While he was still a B.B. King clone during his first concerts, you can see him broadening his horizons now—though it’s still clear who his role model was.
He remains a showman with all his antics, but the music remains the most important.
