Although born near
Raleigh, North Carolina, at an early age Harley moved with his mother to a poor neighborhood in
North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He began playing the
C melody saxophone at age 12 and also played trumpet. At the age of 22, he began studying saxophone, flute, oboe, and clarinet with
Dennis Sandole (1913–2000), an Italian American
jazz guitarist who taught several jazz musicians in Philadelphia including John Coltrane, James Moody, Jim Hall, and Pat Martino. Harley became inspired to learn the bagpipe after seeing the
Black Watch perform in
John F. Kennedy's funeral procession in November 1963. Then a maintenance worker for Philadelphia's housing authority, Harley began searching the city for a set of bagpipes. Failing to find one, he traveled to New York City, where he found a set in a pawn shop. He purchased the instrument for US$120, quickly adapting it to the idioms of jazz,
blues, and
funk. On several occasions, when a neighbor called the police to complain about Harley's practicing in his home, he would quickly put away his bagpipes and feign ignorance, asking the officers, "Do I look like I'm Irish or Scottish to you?" He eventually acquired a better set of bagpipes, which cost him a little over US$1,000. Harley made his bagpipe performance debut in 1964. From 1965 to 1970 he released four recordings as leader on the
Atlantic label (all produced by
Joel Dorn, an early supporter), also recording as a sideman with
Herbie Mann,
Sonny Stitt, and
Sonny Rollins in the 1960s and 1970s. He later recorded with
Laurie Anderson (appearing on her 1982 album
Big Science) and
The Roots (on their 1995 album
Do You Want More?!!!??!), the latter coming about due to a 1994 appearance on
The Arsenio Hall Show. In addition to bagpipes, on these albums he also occasionally played tenor saxophone, flute, or electric soprano saxophone. Harley often wore Scottish garb, including a
kilt, in conjunction with a
Viking-style
horned helmet. After seeing him perform on television, a Scottish family gave him his
tartan, the
MacLeod tartan, which he wore for the rest of his life. and again c. 2000), ''
I've Got a Secret (October 17, 1966), and The Arsenio Hall Show''. He also had a small role in
Francis Ford Coppola's 1966 comedy film ''
You're a Big Boy Now, as well as Eddie and the Cruisers'' (1983). In addition to his performing career, he worked for the Philadelphia Housing Authority for many years. Harley's album
Brotherly Love, released on CD in 1998, was released at the same time as Charles Powell's book
The Jazzish Bagpiper, an anthology of images and conversations with Harley. Powell was the first to compliment Harley on his contributions with Celtic bagpipes to American music. Writing in the sleeve notes for the album, Ralph Stevenson Jr., Harley's executive producer, noted: Rufus Harley resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania home of the Liberty Bell. Harley, musical ambassador of the City of Brotherly love, has been received and embraced by tribal leaders, heads of state and many notables from around the world. His message of peace and love is blended in this CD collaboration and led by his dues paid, musical labor of sax and bagpipes. Harley performed with many notable jazz musicians such as
John Coltrane,
Dizzy Gillespie and
Dexter Gordon. Harley died of
prostate cancer at
Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia on August 1, 2006. A posthumous retrospective on
Rhino Handmade,
Courage: The Atlantic Recordings, was released in November 2006 as a 3,000-copy limited edition and contains all the tracks from his four Atlantic LPs, plus an unreleased track of
Pete Seeger and
Joe Hickerson's composition
Where Have All the Flowers Gone? recorded in 1969. ==Discography==