Harriet Wheeler has been out of the public eye for quite some time now, but that doesn’t mean she’s not missed. It’s been over 10 years since their last album (wow!) yet I get more emails and comments about Harriet Wheeler and the Sundays than anyone else. If you’re ever feeling reminiscent, youtube has a great collection of Sundays interviews and videos, including their video for Summertime! While you’re here though, why not leave some comments about Harriet and the Sundays! Out of respect for Harriet and her family, please do not post any information on her place of employment! Any comments that do will be removed.
Image Gallery
Below are just a few pictures of Harriet Wheeler from various videos and TV appearances. More are available at the Sirens of Song photostream on flickr.
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- Harriet Wheeler (the Sundays) – Summertime
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- Harriet Wheeler (the Sundays) – In Concert
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- Harriet Wheeler (the Sundays) – Goodbye
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- Harriet Wheeler (the Sundays) – Love
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- Harriet Wheeler (the Sundays) – MTV Europe
Concert Review
9:30 Club (Washington, DC – 12/3/97)
December 3rd, 1997 will go down as one of the best days of my life. I finally saw the Sundays in concert and they were awesome! Harriet hit every note. They performed about 17 songs (this is from memory…I wasn’t able to get my hands on a set list) including the 3 encores. Here they are in no particular order. If anyone does have the set list from the D.C. show please inform me of my errors.
Summertime
Homeward
She
What Do You Think
When I’m Thinking About You
Here’s Where The Story Ends
Can’t Be Sure
Joy
Medicine
Another Flavour
Hideous Towns
Monochrome
My Finest Hour
Goodbye
I Kicked A Boy
Turkish*
Cry
*clip from a Vancouver performance (3/15/93), not the D.C. show
The best part was that I met Harriet! After the show, I started walking to my car and noticed 3 or 4 people hanging around out front where the tour bus was so, I decided to stick around too. One of the tour members knew what was going on so he stressed to us several times that if we just stayed calm and didn’t act like maniacs they’d probably sign autographs and pose for photos.
To make a long story short, about an hour later it finally happened. They walked right out the front door and signed autographs and posed for pictures. (By this time there was a small crowd of about 20 people.) Both Harriet and David were very nice and down to earth. They were making conversation with everyone and were more than happy to sign everything and anything that was handed to them. They must have stood outside in the cold and drizzle for at least 30 minutes. I am quite happy to say I was able to get an autograph and even pose for a picture with them. Even after I got a pic with them I stuck around a while and took about 7 more pics. Of course it goes without saying I ran to the one hour photo shop the next day and got reprints in every size…5×7, 8×10, and 24×36. (Ok, I didn’t go for the poster size). All in all, it was a night I’ll never forget! More photos from the night are available at the Sirens of Song photostream on flickr.
Albums/Singles
This IS NOT a complete discography. This only represents what I own.
 Static And Silence (1997)
1. Summertime |
 Blind (1992)
1. I Feel |
 Reading Writing and Arithmetic (1990)
1. Skin & Bones |
 Summertime CD-1 (1997)
1. Summertime |
 Summertime CD-2 (1997)
1. Summertime |
 Cry CD-1 (1997)
1. Cry |
 Cry CD-2 (1997)
1. Cry |
 The Black Session (1993)
1. My Finest Hour – live |
 Can’t Be Sure (1990)
1. Can’t Be Sure |
 Goodbye (1992)
1. Goodbye |
Holy schnikes, I think I stumbled onto some contemporary Harriet news completely by accident! A few months back I discovered a singer-songwriter in the vein of Harriet named Nikki Kummerow. I didn’t buy her music because I’m a CD guy and it was only available as a download. Tonight I went to go check her site to see if there were any updates on the CD front. Alas, no news on that but I found something even better:
http://oh-my-hat.tumblr.com/post/4470608960
Unfortunately, I can’t get the audio to play, which I’m hoping is a Flash issue. If anyone can get it to play and transcribe it (or better yet, upload it elsewhere), that would be amazing. Either way, it’s amazing to know that Harriet is still around–now get her out of retirement, Nikki! Part of me wants to email Nikki (she’s responded in the past) to ask her what the story is (I hope it hasn’t ended…).
I lived in Boston in the late 80s, early 90s and played guitar with Alt’rock band, The Mellons, during that period. Life was all about the music then, eager to see all the visiting Alternative bands over from the UK and Ireland. without exception, The Sundays gig in 1990 in the Citi Club in Boston was the most incredible experience I’ve ever had at a live gig, Harriet was mesmerising, Every moment of that gig will stay with me forever.
Just listening to Summertime. Always wakes me up and reminds me how simple things can be the best things if you let them.
Thanks and take care
Gene
I’m just starting to discorver this amazing band and i cant express how my soul joys while i listen the heavenly voice of Harriet. How could she just dissapear? I dont get it. At least she left to us her music. Thank you Harriet (and obviously to the whole band)
I missed the Sundays both times I remember them coming to Dallas, including the show referenced above. Tickets were $12! When my son was four I had summertime playing in the car and here’s where the story ends playing in the house. He recognized Harriet’s voice in both songs and played hours apart at that. He said, “Daddy, this is the summertime lady isn’t it”? He just stared at the speakers for a moment, silent, absorbent, like kids can be. Kind of like I get when I play their songs even today. I’ve been all over the internet and read tons of stuff about them over the years. Whether or not they ever release any previously unreleased or not, whether Harriet’s body looks like the same cute 24 year old she used to be then hey…it is what it is. I don’t look as good as I used to either. Remember her however you want but the voice is undeniably angelic. I’d love to write her and David an email or two. Whether she thinks what she has to say is interesting or not I’d really like it.
And for the blogger above here’s my question, where did the inspiration come from for cant be sure. That’s broad enough to elicit a nice long response.
Wow, I can’t believe there is still so much interest in this wonderful band!
I had an especially vivid dream the other night which I feel I have to reveal to someone but nobody I know even knows who The Sundays are. Anyway, to keep it short, Harriet and the band are back together and playing on TV, she has aged considerably with wrinkles and a very weathered face, close-ups and all, briefly shocking, but in my dream this matters not a bit, her voice is so beautiful that it’s all that matters.
I realize that dreams are not usually literal and that they are and an unwinding of my conscious life using symbols, but in them there is something real to listen to and learn from; The beauty of music, the art and performance and not the appearance.
I love listenig to all of The Sundays music. I’ll stop back again.
I made a mistake, Harriet became pregnant in the summer of 1998 and gave birth to their son in March 1999.
One of the first concerts I ever saw……..I was super excited to get to see them live and in my haste I didn’t realize it WAS NOT an all ages show
I got there late however and the guy working the door let me in anyhow! Stood in the back and got to catch maybe the last three songs AMAZING! Blind tour Dallas TX @ deep ellum live.
Hello Lara, thank you for your question. Believe me I do understand where your are coming from,
you are one of us who understands how gifted and how unique and how profoundly beautiful
Harriet singing was/is. But I would rephrase your question after all let’s not forget we are interviewing a highly intelligent and gentle person. Like you I often wondered why she not came back to the music world after the birth of their son in 1998. One of my theory on this is that Harriet suffered a lot from nerves a kind of stage fright, she was often described as being very shy in front of a large audience. But I guess that we will never know
unless we have this interview and someone will ask the right question in the right way. I think there is a body of true that a reviewing journalist once wrote “They are too good to be true… we don’t deserve them…us mere mortals… we are not fit for this.. This snow voice, this chorus, this deity, this love.”
My Question:
Our time here is very limited. Why wouldn’t you give what you’ve got to give, even in your own time and on your own terms? I just don’t understand, and wish I had something so valuable to give others.
I love her voice,sometimes reminds me of Jullianne Reagan from All About Eve,what do you think?Anyway it helps me through the day to listen to an Angel like this,thank you.
wasted talent
Plain and simple… “I miss their music.”
Well now that’s a Qi question, Harriet are there any unreleased tracks or unfinished songs? if so please tell us about them
And what I always wanted to know if any of The Stones let you know what they thought of your cover of Wild Horses?
I wonder how much control, if any, they have over their unreleased tracks. I would think anything recorded during their Geffen/DGC days are still owned by the label. And we all know how record labels are nowadays. If it doesn’t sell to 15 year olds, it’s not a priority, so at this point, those tracks will probably never see the light of day. I hope I’m wrong of course!
as much as we would all love to see it happen, i think it’s a little bit ridiculous to think that the sundays would ever make music and tour again at this point. however, they must have unreleased material in the vaults. why not put together a best of with a bonus disc of all the b-sides and some unreleased tracks? i don’t think that’s too much to ask, and it would maybe give the fans some closure.
Correction, I mean of course; You might think …
Imagine you could interview Harriet today what would you ask her?
My question would be:
Are you still practicing the art of singing in any form, like maybe in a choir?
You might thing this is a pointless exercise, but if there are enough of you with interesting questions we might find away to get these questions to Harriet and who knows if we are lucky she might answer.
Place your question even if it’s only just for the fun of it.
When I was a child in the early 70′s I can still to this day remember hearing certain songs for the first time. I would freeze and intently listen, blocking everything else around me out; I would be in another world, mesmerized. In one instance riding a small bus home from a field trip in the evening the bus driver had a radio and I heard Gordon Lightfoot’s “If You Could Read My Mind”, I’ll never forget. I lost this experience as I grew older, though there was still some good music coming out. When I heard “Here’s Where the Story Ends” by the Sundays I relived this feeling in my early-thirties for the first time in a long time. The song took my breath away, as I have read it did other commenters here and prompted me to write this. I don’t know what it is but I suspect it has something to do with connecting with music from the soul.
Seriously, as much as i (like most here) love the Sundays music, you must admit that there is little chance they may ever perform again as a group. These guys are kicking into the 50 years of age bracket and they all have established families. Fame & touring would be their last priority. To upend their lives just to relive past glories would be great no doubt, but realistically its not going to happen when all your energy is going towards family household bills & getting kids clothed & schooled. I imagine Harriet has enough on her hands raising a few rowdy teenagers. I still hope she does some solo work down the track when time permits.