HARRY NILSSON - Harry Who?

Since I was at the tender age of 13 I've been a devoted fan of the American singer-songwriter, Harry Nilsson.

My son asked me why, and I had to think a while before answering. After careful consideration, I offered my answer.

Firstly, in my humble opinion, he's ultra cool, in an un-cool kind of way.

Secondly, during his heyday, his voice was like no other. Soft and hard, according to what the song demanded of him, across such a wide range. 

Thirdly, the songs he wrote had humour, and the ones he interpreted had a special quality, often better than their originals, again, in my humble opinion.

He was so different, so unique, so unusual, and not mainstream - a bit left-field.

I could go on, and I probably would, given half a chance.

When the internet was beginning to take off, I discovered that there were others in the world that shared my obsession with Nilsson's life and music. When I learned that the first HarryFest was going to take place in Los Angeles in 1997, there was no doubt in my mind that I had to attend.

When I met Harry's eldest son Zak, and ended up going back to his house to listen to his dad's music,  holding his dad's actual Grammy award that he won for Everybody's Talkin', playing volleyball in Zak's swimming pool, and visiting my hero's grave with Zak and meeting Harry's widow Una as well as his other children, I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I really wasn't.

To anyone unfamiliar with his work, except for his two big hits (Everybody's Talkin', and Without You), I would urge you to dig deeper. 

An excellent place to begin would be this double CD on Sony: 'ONE - The Best Of Nilsson'. Why do I know it's so good? Because I chose all the tracks and the order in which they run. Honest guv, knock me down with a feather if I tell a lie.

His hit album Nilsson Schmilsson is probably his best known, and shows him at the peak of his music career and popularity.

But if you really want to splash out, the wonderful box set of all his RCA albums, plus bonus tracks galore, is pure gold.

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To learn more, there's a rather splendid biography written by English author Alyn Shipton, 'The Life Of A Singer-Songwriter'. It's pretty darned good - very detailed and extremely well written. I met old Alyn in Islington and told him so. But what I really wanted to ask him was why he spells his name with a 'y'.

Now, after you've listened to some tracks and read the book, get hold of the best music-documentary available. With all the knowledge you've recently gained, you'll be able to answer the question posed on the title of the DVD: 'Who Is Harry Nilsson, And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?'

There's a Facebook page worth visiting: 
https://www.facebook.com/harry.nilssonian.