Barry Doyle Harris (born December 15, 1929) is an American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. He is an exponent of the bebop style. Harris began learning the piano at the age of four. His mother, a church pianist, asked him if he was interested in playing church music or jazz. Having picked the latter, he was influenced by Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell. In his teens he learned bebop largely by ear, imitating solos by Powell. He claimed Powell’s style was the “epitome” of jazz. He performed for dances in clubs and ballrooms. He was based in Detroit through the 1950s and worked with Miles Davis, Sonny Stitt, and Thad Jones and substituted for Junior Mance in the Gene Ammons band. In 1956 he toured briefly with Max Roach after Richie Powell, the band’s pianist and younger brother of Bud Powell, died in a car crash.

Harris performed with Cannonball Adderley‘s quintet and on television with them. After moving to New York City, he worked as an educator and performed with Dexter Gordon, Illinois Jacquet, Yusef Lateef and Hank Mobley. Between 1965 and 1969, he worked extensively with Coleman Hawkins at the Village Vanguard.