San Diego has a lot of great musicians, including guitarist Joey Harris. A world-class songwriter with several hits to his credit, including The Beat Farmers’ classic “The Girl I Almost Married,” Harris’ manic lead-guitar playing and personal charm have made him a favorite at clubs and recording studios throughout Southern California since the mid-’70s. Harris, who performs with his group The Mentals at Dream Street on Friday, May 22, got his start playing with former Kingston Trio guitarist John Stewart. The connection was his uncle, fellow Kingston Trio member Nick Reynolds. Harris found himself on the road straight out of high school. “I was born in 1957. It was the year the Kingston Trio had a huge hit with the song ‘Tom Dooley,’ Harris said. Even with such a famous musician for a relative, Harris got his inspiration to play from a more common ’60s phenomenon. “I think I decided to be a musician when I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show,” he said. “All those screaming girls. I was seven years old, but I understood the rock ’n’ roll/girl connection,” he said. Ironically, for such a well-known guitarist, Harris originally wanted to be a drummer. “I thought Ringo was the coolest, so I wanted to be a drummer,” Harris said. “But my folks weren’t going to buy a drum set for a seven-year-old. However, there were lots of ukuleles around the house. So I taught myself lead ukulele.” He was hired, straight out of high school, to play lead guitar with Stewart’s band. “Suddenly, I became aware of the craft of songwriting,” Harris said. “John would bring songs into a rehearsal one week and bring it back the next week completely reworked. My time with John Stewart was like attending Songwriters University. “While on tour with John’s band, I got a world-class education in the possibilities and dangers of life on the road, and I got an opportunity to play little folk cellars that John and my uncle, Nick, had played with the Kingston Trio.” Harris also got to perform in large venues, opening for the likes of Randy Newman, Tom Waits and Emmylou Harris. At 17, he was already in the studio with Stewart, laying down tracks for Stewart’s record, “Fire in the Wind.” As successful as his time with Stewart was, Harris was soon swept up in the punk scene. “It was the late ’70s and Stewart looked on warily as his cute and cuddly, bell-bottomed golden-boy guitarist morphed into a purple-headed, peg-leg, punk rocker,” Harris said. “It was time for me to leave the nest, but the lessons John taught me have influenced every professional and artistic choice I’ve made since.” The list of bands that followed includes some of San Diego’s most popular acts of the past few decades, including Fingers, Joey Harris & The Speedsters, The Beat Farmers, Country Dick & The Snuggle Bunnies and Powerthud. Harris has toured the world several times and appeared on network television shows such as “Late Night with David Letterman.” He’s also played with some of music’s best-known musicians, like Elvis Costello drummer Pete Thomas and Little Feat guitarist Lowell George. However, his favorite moment in a long and storied career is slightly more personal but still rock ’n’ roll. “For me, the high point will always be getting married onstage at the 1990 Street Scene before the Beat Farmers set. That was pretty dang cool,” Harris said. After more than three decades at it, Harris said he is still thrilled to be making music. “I’ve always loved getting up on a stage and getting the songs across to an audience, but all these years of doing it have only made it more fun,” Harris said. “I learned a lot from John Stewart’s between-song banter, and the whole concept went through the roof with the likes of Country Dick and Mojo Nixon. After 30 years of doing it, I dearly love being on that stage.” Future plans for Harris include a new self-titled album and touring. “Yeah I’d like to hit the road, although maybe not as hard as we used to,” Harris said. “The Beat Farmers had a loyal following in hundreds of towns across North America. And I would dearly love to see them all again.” Joey Harris & The Mentals perform on Friday, May 22, at Dream Street, 2228 Bacon St. at 9 p.m. The show is for 21 and up. For more information, visit www.joeyharris.com.