Friends and colleagues are reacting with shock to the sudden death Tuesday of Evelyn Harris, a prominent Pioneer Valley musician and one-time member of the internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble "Sweet Honey in the Rock." She was 75.
Kyle Homstead, the group's current technical director, says he first met Harris when she moved to western Massachusetts in the 1990's to recover from addiction.
"When she sings a song and talks about adversity and struggle...she has lived that in so many ways. And it was part of what made her such a powerful singer, because she could inhabit the lyrics that she was singing with a great depth and knowing," he said.
Homestead says that adversity included returning an honorary degree from Smith College this year over mis-attributions in her speech, an episode he says sent her into relapse from which she quickly recovered.
"She said to me not too long ago that she felt like her voice was the best it had ever been, and was really excited about some new musical projects," he said.
Homstead added that those projects included ongoing collaborations with the Valley's own vocal ensemble the "Young at Heart" chorus.
