Who We Are
Our Story
50 years of songwriting
Steve and Jim’s songwriting partnership began in the hallways and basements of their high school in the early 1970s, stretching through their college years from 1973 to 1978. During that time, they wrote often; after class, on weekends, and anywhere a guitar would fit. Their early work earned them an Honorable Mention in the American Song Festival, a national competition that briefly had them imagining a move to Nashville and a full‑time career in music.
Life, as it often does, pulled them onto different paths. Each pursued successful careers outside of music, and the dream they once shared settled quietly into the background.
In 2017, after Steve retired early, he reached back out to Jim with a simple question: “Want to start writing again?” Jim didn’t hesitate. They picked up right where they left off—older, wiser, and with a deeper well of stories to tell.
Today, Harrison & Talent continue to write with the same spirit that fueled them in the ’70s. Their songs are often described as “honest music”—story‑driven, heartfelt, and grounded in real life. The sound blends the retro influences they grew up on—country, soft rock, pop, and blues—into something familiar yet uniquely their own.
Writing Style
The more recent songs of Harrison and Talent are 50 years in the making. From their initial writing styles of the 1970’s and 80’s their songs have evolved into a more sophisticated mix of retro melodies and tempos arranged with lyrics that showcase a full range of human emotion, struggles and everyday life experiences. “Honest music” is often used to describe their music. The songs cover a wide range of genres including ballads, country and pop to easy listening, blues and soft rock. See the page “The Stories Behind the Songs” to get a more in depth understanding of the stories and the meanings behind the song lyrics.
