Denis Harting

Published: Sunday, January 22, 2006


"The anthem singer stood courtside at the Centre Pierre-Charbonneau in his tinted glasses and New York Yankees baseball cap. Five feet tall at best, he was dwarfed by the professional basketball players making their final practice free throws just feet away."

"He was led to the centre of the court by the right arm, feet shuffling, head bobbing, right hand twitching furiously, and introduced - just another local singer who would surely butcher the Star-Spangled Banner, a very difficult song to sing, the way so many have before him."

"Then Denis Harting opened his mouth."

"Close your eyes, and it could have been Mariah Carey, or Alicia Keys, or Stevie Wonder, or any classic Motown R&B singer."

"The members of the visiting Long Island Sound looked at each other, then at Harting, in amazement. Then, one after another, they started to sing along."

"Nearly note-perfect and word-perfect, the music streaming out of every fibre of his being, Harting brought the house down."

"(…) Abandoned by a too-young mother he met for the first time when he was 20, and a schizophrenic father now institutionalized in Quebec City, Harting grew up in institutions and foster homes."

"That he has made it this far, ignored and dismissed most of his young life, is just short of a miracle."

"But Harting also was born with a special gift, that voice, a gift he hopes will carry him to fame and fortune and enable him to spread a message of hope around the world."

"‘I'm a white guy who sings black music with a black voice. I'm a francophone who sings in English. I'm a man, and I have a girl's voice. I'm quite a paradox, I know,’ Harting said."

"(…) He was 23 before he received his first formal training, from Montreal vocal coach Philippe Parent. ‘A wonderful voice. Superb intensity, and he understands vocal technique, which is rare with singers today,’ Parent said. ‘Back then, it was the ballads. He was somewhere between Perry Como and Andrea Bocelli. He had it.’"

"(…) The quest for stardom began in earnest about 12 years ago when Harting's girlfriend, Peggy Roux, decided to become his manager. Visually impaired as well but blessed with better health, dogged determination, and unshakable confidence, Roux has dragged Harting kicking and screaming through crises of confidence, bouts with stage fright at the worst possible times, and one disappointment after another."

"(…) They have developed a concept, a performance persona for Harting, an alter ego into which he can disappear when he sings. His name is Christos. One name, like Madonna. He's neither black nor white, sighted or unsighted. ‘He's the light from within,’ Harting said."

"Christos's musical influences cover the gamut: R&B, hip-hop beats, world beats, funk, with a twist of New Age. Christos preaches about the power of diversity, about freedom from self-imposed limitations, and about accepting each other's differences. He is spiritual, but provocative and issue-oriented."

"(…) Their quest has led the couple to pound the winding, confusing streets of New York's Greenwich Village, taking buses and trains from a cheap rooming house in New Jersey into the city to save money. Roux had her purse stolen in a Manhattan restaurant, with a sighted friend sitting right next to her. They were scammed for $130 U.S. by a man claiming to be a security agent in the Port Authority bus terminal. They've been to Athens, where Harting performed at an event to honour the Special Olympians as part of the Summer Games in 2004. He sang in the New York Music Festival in 2003, and in a showcase event for charity last fall."

"He's been on the radio locally, and on television, and even sang with the Acceuil Bonneau choir for three months. But none of it has led to the big break."

"They met Harting's idol, Mariah Carey, when they went to Times Square when the singer was doing promotional appearances for her latest CD. Harting broke into song as they stood behind the ropes, attracting the attention of one of Carey's backup singers. They were brought in for an audience with the great diva herself, and thought to themselves, ‘This is it.’"

"The encounter was a brief one, but the stars weren't aligned. It was back to the drawing board."

"(…) They've never done anything else, and Harting and Roux refuse to set a deadline. ‘The people who have really succeeded had a hard head. They did things to make ends meet, but never said to themselves, 'if it doesn't work. ...'’ Roux said."

"His entire life, Harting has heard the naysayers, from the foster mother who told him as a child he couldn't help with the grocery shopping, to the neighbour in his apartment building who told him that if he thought he was the next Caruso, he was fooling himself."

"‘You can't give up on your dreams and your ideals because society programs you to. I've noticed that those who have a Plan B are those who end up doing Plan B,’ Harting said."

"(…) ‘The message I'd like to get out is that a dream is only impossible for those who make it impossible,’ Harting said." - STEPHANIE MYLES, The Montreal Gazette

"Seven nights, 10 stages, four seminars, four parties, too many fashion shows, hundreds of musical acts, one tired reporter. An offshoot of the venerable
New York International Independent Film and Video Festival and attended by hordes of producers, agents, managers and record labels, the New York International
Music Festival was held April 2-10 at venues and clubs across Manhattan."

"(…) Denis Harting
One of the most intriguing acts of the entire Festival, Denis is blind, a bit hyperactive, possesses an androgynous voice and perhaps worst of all, is white.
But his R&B performance was fiercely intense, completely sensual, and downright stunning. He dropped every jaw in the joint, received a standing ovation,
then got out in the middle of the floor and danced to other people's music. Performing professionally since 1993, the Montreal-based singer/songwriter/producer
has released multiple solo and group demos and appeared on several television programs." - Julie Seabaugh, Score! Music Magazine