Kodac Harrison’s new memoir, “Chasing My Vagabond Heart,” chronicles more than 40 years in the life of the musician, poet, artist, photographer, and emcee. And while he might call himself a vagabond, the term renaissance man more aptly describes his devotion to Atlanta’s art scene.
Harrison, 76, began working on the memoir more than 13 years ago, then put it away while touring, releasing albums and poetry collections, and getting married to his wife, Patty. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he pulled the book out of the drawer and began again.
“I spent a lot of time taking out ‘verys’ and other adjectives,” Harrison said, taking sage advice from Gertrude Stein to Ernest Hemingway. He also worked with local poets Travis Denton and Katie Chaple on honing the manuscript into its final form.
Harrison spent many months poring over extensive photo albums, notebooks, and correspondence to flesh out the memoir that covers his most active years from 1972 to 2010. The memoir is punctuated by his poems and lyrics, offering the “stories behind the songs.”
A native of Jackson, GA, Harrison graduated from Georgia Tech and then received a master’s degree in business administration from Tulane University. But he couldn’t get the idea of being a musician out of his mind.
While studying in New Orleans, Harrison honed his guitar and songwriting skills before heading west to California. His first gig was in 1975 in Salinas at a bar called East of Eden, named after famed resident John Steinbeck, where he played regularly for a year.
Harrison would go on to spend time in Texas, a commune in West Virginia, New York, and a stint in the Army. In the 1980s, he decided to plug in and become a rock and roll star, but a near-fatal car accident in 1989 made him re-evaluate his career.
“I realized I didn’t need to be a rock and roll star, and decided to go back to my acoustic guitar and move to Decatur,” he said.
Harrison became a regular performer at Trackside Tavern and later at Eddie’s Attic. As his presence in the indie music scene grew, Harrison also found an audience in Europe – especially Germany – and has made seven tours of the continent, including a spot at the Prague International Jazz Festival.
In 1997, Harrison began laying the foundation for the nascent Intown poetry scene that blossomed in the 2000s. He hosted gigs at Gravity Pub and the Margaret Mitchell House before finally landing at Java Monkey Coffee House in 2001.
The weekly Java Monkey Speaks open mic was a cultural watershed, with future Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists Jericho Brown, Natasha Trethewey, and Patricia Smith as well as new City Lights co-host Jon Goode gracing the stage. Every Sunday night, the large patio was overflowing with onlookers and there was often a waiting list for those hoping to get a spot on the mic.
Harrison presided over Java Monkey Speaks for more than 15 years and co-edited five award-winning poetry anthologies featuring poets who had appeared on the mic. He passed the emcee duties to poet Theresa Davis in 2016, who carried on until a disgruntled former employee set the coffee shop on fire in 2018. It never reopened and the space is now The Reading Room.
“Java Monkey Speaks was one of my biggest accomplishments,” Harrison said. “I’m very proud of it.”
Davis continues to carry the torch by hosting a weekly virtual open mic called “Java Speaks” on Sunday nights at 7:30 p.m.
An essential tremor, now under control after surgery at Emory University Hospital, sidelined him from playing the guitar for a number of years, but he now performs monthly and hosts an open mic at Wild Heaven Beer in Avondale Estates called “Kodac’s Last Thursday.”
After releasing more than 20 albums over the last 40 years, he is currently working on what he said will be his final record.
Harrison will be in conversation with fellow poet Rupert Fike at The Book Bird in Avondale Estates on Wednesday, June 18, starting at 7 p.m. Books will be available for sale and to be autographed by the author.