Composer
Rolf Harris
Australian entertainer (1930–2023)
1930–2023
6 works in the index
- Born
- 1930
- Died
- 2023
- Birthplace
- Bassendean
- Place of death
- Bray
- Citizenship / historical state
- Australia; United Kingdom
- Period (estimated from birth year)
- Contemporary
Biography
Rolf Harris (30 March 1930 – 10 May 2023) was an Australian musician, television personality, painter, and actor. He used a variety of instruments in his performances, notably the didgeridoo and the Stylophone, and is credited with the invention of the wobble board. He was convicted in England in 2014 of the sexual assault of four underage girls.
Harris began his entertainment career in 1953, releasing several songs, including "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" (a Top 10 hit in Australia, the UK and the United States), "Sun Arise", "Jake the Peg" and "Two Little Boys", which reached number 1 in the UK. From the 1960s, Harris was a successful television personality in the UK, later presenting shows such as Rolf's Cartoon Club and Animal Hospital. In 1985, he hosted the short educational film Kids Can Say No!, which warned children between ages five and eight how to avoid situations where they might be sexually abused, how to escape such situations and how to get help if they are abused. In 2005, he painted an official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
After the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal, Harris was arrested as part of the Operation Yewtree police investigation regarding historical allegations of sexual offences in 2013. Harris denied any wrongdoing and was placed on trial in 2014. In July 2014, Harris was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison after being convicted on twelve counts of indecent assault on four female victims, who were between the ages of eight and nineteen at the time that the offences took place between the 1960s and 1980s. Following his conviction, he was stripped of many of his honours and re-runs of his television programmes were pulled from syndication.
Harris was released on licence in 2017 after serving nearly three years at HM Prison Stafford. The conviction involving an eight-year-old girl in Portsmouth was overturned as unsafe in 2017. He applied for permission to appeal against his convictions concerning the three other girls, but this was refused.
Biography excerpt from Wikipedia contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Formatting and reference markers have been removed; the introduction may be shortened. View contributors and article history.
Life and musical career
- Occupations
- television presenter; painter; singer; composer; actor; songwriter; film director; entertainer; estrada artist; musician
- Education
- Perth Modern School; University of Western Australia; City and Guilds of London Art School; Edith Cowan University; Claremont Teachers College
- Career institutions / employers
- British Broadcasting Corporation
- Instruments played
- didgeridoo; accordion; voice; wobble board; Stylophone
- Genres
- comedy music
- Awards
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Officer of the Order of Australia; Centenary Medal; Member of the Order of Australia; Member of the Order of the British Empire; Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- Native languages
- English
- Languages used
- English
- VIAF ID
- 841149108658168780000
- ISNI
- 0000000122133638
- GND ID
- 134838890
- Library of Congress ID
- n82075342
- MusicBrainz ID
- a56dfbb1-a51d-46c3-a0bd-c60dcad1f27c
Recorded in Wikidata. Affiliations may refer to earlier stages of the composer's career.
In this catalogue
- Common listed instruments
- Piano, Vocal, Choir, Guitar, Voice
- Genres represented
- Pop, Australian, Children, pop, Rock
- Works with composition dates
- 0 of 6
These details describe the indexed sheet music, including arrangements.
Catalogue
Works
Years are composition dates where known. Instruments describe editions in our catalogue and may include arrangements. A dash means the detail is not recorded.
| Work | Year composed | Catalogue / opus | Key in title | Listed instruments | Genre | Editions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport | — | — | — | Piano, Guitar, Voice, Vocal, Choir | Pop, Children | 9 |
| Two Little Boys | — | — | — | Piano, Vocal | Rock, pop | 5 |
| Six White Boomers | — | — | — | — | Pop, Australian | 2 |
| Sun Arise | — | — | — | — | Pop, Australian | 1 |
| Skippy The Bush Kangaroo | — | — | — | — | Pop, Australian | 1 |
| Jake The Peg | — | — | — | — | Pop, Australian | 1 |
Biographical record: Wikidata, matched on name and checked against dates held in the catalogue. The period label is an estimate from birth year. Authority record: VIAF 841149108658168780000. Portrait: Zuzanna Neziri, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.