Harry Dennis

Harry Dennis (sometimes spelled Harri) is a house music producer and lyricist from Chicago, United States, who was part of the original generation of house music in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Early life Dennis is a native Chicagoan who completed his elementary and high school education in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). While attending Illinois State University (ISU), he incorporated drama and music into his core studies and became interested in songwriting and lyric development. In 1982, Dennis graduated from ISU, returned to Chicago to work, and began his music career. A frequent party-goer, he met Robert Williams, owner of The Warehouse, a local nightclub that catered to house music enthusiasts, where Dennis met and became friends with DJ Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy, and other leading members of the house music scene. Through these connections Dennis became a lyricist in the house scene.

Early career Dennis began his recording career in 1983, releasing the single "Donnie" in 1985. He formed a group named The It with Larry Heard and Robert Owens. "Donnie" was launched on the Chicago underground house scene (with Chip E. as producer) in 1985, quickly spreading to the east coast, and was distributed worldwide by DJ International in 1986.

During 1986–1989, Dennis was recruited to Trax Records by Marshall Jefferson. Together, they formed the group Jungle Wonz, recording the house hits "Time Marches On" and "Jungle".

In 1988, Fingers Inc., a group formed by Dennis, Heard, Owens, and Ron Wilson, released "Distant Planet" with Dennis as writer and vocalist. The single was released under the Indigo Music/Jack Trax label. Dennis also collaborated as a lyricist and vocalist with Owens and Heard to record the single "Gallimaufry Gallery", released on the Black Market International label. During 1990–1991, Dennis penned other house tracks in collaboration with Larry Heard. They recorded an album in London on the Big Life Records label, featuring "In This Place Called Nowhere", "Endless Journey", "Brazilian Love Dance", "Rain Forest Serenade", "When Will We Learn", "Endless Flight", "Living For The Man", and "Brazilian Love Dance (Interlude)". In 1993, Dennis collaborated with Marshall Jefferson again to release "Bird In a Gilded Cage" on Trax.

Later career Dennis returned from a sabbatical in 2005 with new material.

While working on a new album, Dennis appeared on Chicago House Radio, WHPK 88.5 FM, and Triton College. He provided voiceover on tracks for DJs. Dennis also performed live at various Chicago venues, including the Regal Theater, and often appeared with fellow house music performer Curtis McClain.

Dennis' business affiliations include house music executives such as Marshall Jefferson, Chauncey Alexander, and David Dee of Openhouse Recordings. Dennis and Jefferson released a new album on Openhouse in June 2011 entitled Jungle Wonz: The Jungle Sky EP, produced by Marshall Jefferson. This album included an updated version of the original "The Jungle" recording, along with several renditions of a new single, "Kiss the Sky", written by Dennis, McClain and Jefferson.

Following the 2012 release of his album, The Jungle Wonz: Deliverance, Dennis was featured on Chicago's Black Business Network, interviewed by founder and host, Sonja Perdue.

In 2013, Dennis wrote and released a new single, "No Matter", produced by Ricard Perez on the Epoque Music label.

In September 2014, Alleviated Records released an EP entitled The IT, another collaboration between Dennis and Larry Heard. The EP contains two tracks by Dennis entitled "Beauty in a Picture" and "Somebody Somewhere".

Dennis performed at the 2016 Chosen Few Picnic held July 2–3 in Chicago. In 2017, Dennis and IT member Ron Trent released three tracks: a single by The IT called "Monterrey" on the Future Vision World label, "Months of Mays" on the Music and Power label, and "Black Magic Woman" on Rush Hour Records.

Discography

Singles 1986 – Donnie 1986 – The Jungle 1987 – Time Marches On 1988 – Distant Planet 1988 – Gallimaufry Gallery 1990 – In This Place Called Nowhere 1990 – Rainforest Serenade 1990 – Endless Journey 1990 – Brazilian Love Dance 1990 – Endless Flight 1990 – Living for the Man 1993 – Bird in a Gilded Cage 2011 – The Jungle (Remake) 2011 – Kiss The Sky 2012 – Up 2012 – The Jungle 2012 – Deliverance 2012 – Rainforest Serenade 2012 – Ancestors Walk 2012 – Time Marches On 2012 – 20 Paces From the Moon 2012 – Beautiful Nights 2012 – Mystic Voyage 2012 – Grey Afternoon 2012 – Season's Rain 2012 – Urban Blues 2012 – We're So Deep 2012 – Nights Like These 2012 – Get Up 2012 – Loving Every Moment (Just To Be With You) 2013 – Mystic Voyage (instrumental) 2013 – No Matter 2013 – Little Boy 2013 – She Got Problem 2014 – Somebody Somewhere 2014 – Beauty in a Picture 2015 – Spanish Sunrise 2015 – Funky Nursery Rhyme 2016 – Penderstreet Steppers vs. Harry Dennis 2017 - Months of Mays 2017 - Black magic Woman 2018 - Monterrey 2018 - Breeze 2024 - Infinitely 2025 - Her

Albums 1987 – Trax Records (Sampler) 1988 – Jungle Wonz (The Justin Strauss Remixes) 1988 – Fingers Inc. (Another Side) 1990 – The It (On Top of the World) 1995 – Mr. Fingers (Classic Fingers) 2011 – Jungle Wonz: The Jungle Sky EP 2012 – Jungle Wonz: Deliverance 2014 – The IT/EP