Harry Vanda
Encyclopedia
Harry Vanda is a Dutch
-born Australian popular music
singer, guitarist
, songwriter
and record producer
.
. Vanda came to fame there in 1964-65 as the lead guitarist in Australia's most popular and successful group of the 1960s, The Easybeats
. In 2007, the Australian Musician magazine selected the meeting of Vanda and George Young in a Sydney migrants' hostel in 1964 as the most significant event in Australian pop and rock music history.
In 1966 Harry began a successful and enduring writing partnership with rhythm guitarist Young; together they penned all of The Easybeats' late 1960s recordings
, including their major international hit, "Friday On My Mind
".
After returning to Australia in 1973, Vanda & Young
took over as the house producers for leading Australian independent record production company, Albert Productions
, and publisher J. Albert & Son. From 1974 onwards they enjoyed huge success in Australia and elsewhere, writing and producing hits for a number of popular Australian groups and solo singers, including John Paul Young
, Cheetah, Stevie Wright, Ted Mulry
, Rose Tattoo
, The Angels
, William Shakespeare
, Mark Williams
and, most notably, AC/DC
. AC/DC included George Young's brothers, guitarists Angus
and Malcolm Young
. Vanda & Young produced landmark albums such as Let There Be Rock, Powerage
, If You Want Blood You've Got It
, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, High Voltage/TNT
, amongst others.
Vanda and Young also had major international
success with their own studio
-only project Flash and the Pan
, achieving many hits round the world over a 15-year period, particularly in Europe where they had many chart topping records.
By the late 1990's, Vanda and Young had left their longtime partnership with Albert Productions
and they both retired from the music industry. However, in 2005, Harry Vanda started Flashpoint Music
in Surry Hills with his producer/engineer son
, Daniel Vandenberg, setting up one of Australia's premier private studios.The studio has produced bands such as The Wrights
and 'British India'.
First son John married a Dutch woman, Esther Oesterholt and has got two grandchildren in the Netherlands, Mariska and Christian van den Berg.
Vanda used a 1964 Hofner Verithin 1574 with Bigsby tremolo and 511 pickups, before switching in 1965 to a Gibson 345. In "The Easybeats", Vanda also often played a cherry-red Maton
12-string electric guitar, which he donated to the collection of Powerhouse Museum
in Sydney in 1999.
In 1988 he was inducted, along with George Young, into the inaugural class of the ARIA Hall of Fame
.
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
-born Australian popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
singer, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
.
Career
"Harry Vanda"'s family migrated to Australia in 1964, and settled in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. Vanda came to fame there in 1964-65 as the lead guitarist in Australia's most popular and successful group of the 1960s, The Easybeats
The Easybeats
The Easybeats were an Australian rock and roll band. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and broke up at the end of 1969. They are regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s, and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their 1966 single...
. In 2007, the Australian Musician magazine selected the meeting of Vanda and George Young in a Sydney migrants' hostel in 1964 as the most significant event in Australian pop and rock music history.
In 1966 Harry began a successful and enduring writing partnership with rhythm guitarist Young; together they penned all of The Easybeats' late 1960s recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
, including their major international hit, "Friday On My Mind
Friday on My Mind
"Friday on My Mind" is a 1966 song by Australian rock group The Easybeats. Written by band members George Young and Harry Vanda, the track became a worldwide hit, reaching #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1967 in the US, #1 in Australia and #6 in the UK, as well as charting in several...
".
After returning to Australia in 1973, Vanda & Young
Vanda & Young
Vanda & Young are Harry Vanda , and George Young...
took over as the house producers for leading Australian independent record production company, Albert Productions
Albert Productions
Albert Productions, a division of music publishing and recording company Albert Music, is one of Australia's longest established independent Australian record label to specialise in rock and roll music. The label was founded in 1964 by Ted Albert, whose family owned and operated the Australian...
, and publisher J. Albert & Son. From 1974 onwards they enjoyed huge success in Australia and elsewhere, writing and producing hits for a number of popular Australian groups and solo singers, including John Paul Young
John Paul Young
John Paul Young is an Australian pop singer who had a 1978 worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air"...
, Cheetah, Stevie Wright, Ted Mulry
Ted Mulry
Ted Mulry was a singer, songwriter, bass player and guitarist. He was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England but achieved his success in Australia, firstly as a solo performer, and then leading his own band Ted Mulry Gang, sometimes officially credited as just TMG.-Solo:Ted Mulry first came to the...
, Rose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo is an Australian rock and roll band, now led by Angry Anderson, that was formed in Sydney in 1976. Their sound is hard rock mixed with blues rock influences, with songs including "Bad Boy for Love", "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw", "Nice Boys", "We Can't Be Beaten" and "Scarred for Life"...
, The Angels
The Angels (Australian band)
The Angels are a hard rock band that formed in Adelaide, Australia in 1970. The band later relocated from Adelaide to Sydney and enjoyed huge local success until well into the 1990s. For the purposes of international release, their records were released under the names Angel City and later The...
, William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (singer)
William Shakespeare was the stage name of Australian Glam rock singer John Stanley Cave, also known as John Cabe or Billy Shake. He had two Australian hit singles, "Can't Stop Myself from Loving You" which peaked at #2 on the Kent Music Report in 1974 and "My Little Angel" which peaked at #1 in 1975...
, Mark Williams
Mark Williams (singer)
Mark Williams is a New Zealand-born pop/soul singer with Recording Industry Association of New Zealand number one hit singles, "Yesterday Was Just the Beginning of My Life" and a cover of Buddy Holly's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" before he relocated to Australia later that year. His single,...
and, most notably, AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
. AC/DC included George Young's brothers, guitarists Angus
Angus Young
Angus McKinnon Young is a Scottish-born Australian musician, and the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the rock and roll band AC/DC. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with other members of AC/DC in 2003 and is known for his energetic performances,...
and Malcolm Young
Malcolm Young
Malcolm Young is a Scottish-born Australian guitarist, best known as a founding member, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter for the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. Young was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, along with the other members of AC/DC...
. Vanda & Young produced landmark albums such as Let There Be Rock, Powerage
Powerage
Powerage is the fifth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in May 1978. It is also AC/DC's fourth international studio album. All songs were written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott....
, If You Want Blood You've Got It
If You Want Blood You've Got It
If You Want Blood You've Got It is the first live album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, originally released in the US on 21 November 1978...
, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, High Voltage/TNT
High Voltage (1976 album)
High Voltage is the first internationally-released album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It contains tracks from their first two Australia-only issued albums, High Voltage and T.N.T. . Originally released on Atlantic Records, this edition of High Voltage has proven popular, selling three...
, amongst others.
Vanda and Young also had major international
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
success with their own studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
-only project Flash and the Pan
Flash and the Pan
Flash and the Pan was an Australian New Wave musical group initiated during the late 1970s by Harry Vanda and George Young, both former members of The Easybeats...
, achieving many hits round the world over a 15-year period, particularly in Europe where they had many chart topping records.
By the late 1990's, Vanda and Young had left their longtime partnership with Albert Productions
Albert Productions
Albert Productions, a division of music publishing and recording company Albert Music, is one of Australia's longest established independent Australian record label to specialise in rock and roll music. The label was founded in 1964 by Ted Albert, whose family owned and operated the Australian...
and they both retired from the music industry. However, in 2005, Harry Vanda started Flashpoint Music
Flashpoint Music
Flashpoint Music is an independent production house and record label based in Australia specialising in rock and pop. Flashpoint Records and Flashpoint Music Publishing are associated companies.-History:...
in Surry Hills with his producer/engineer son
Son
A son is a male offspring; a boy or man in relation to his parents. The female analogue is a daughter.-Social issues regarding sons:In pre-industrial societies and some current countries with agriculture-based economies, a higher value was, and still is, assigned to sons rather than daughters,...
, Daniel Vandenberg, setting up one of Australia's premier private studios.The studio has produced bands such as The Wrights
The Wrights
The Wrights were a one-off Australian rock music "supergroup". They consisted of Nic Cester , Bernard Fanning , Phil Jamieson , Kram , Chris Cheney , Davey Lane and Pat Bourke...
and 'British India'.
First son John married a Dutch woman, Esther Oesterholt and has got two grandchildren in the Netherlands, Mariska and Christian van den Berg.
Vanda used a 1964 Hofner Verithin 1574 with Bigsby tremolo and 511 pickups, before switching in 1965 to a Gibson 345. In "The Easybeats", Vanda also often played a cherry-red Maton
Maton
Maton is an Australian manufacturer of guitars and other fretted musical instruments.Maton was founded in 1946 as the Maton Musical Instruments Company by Bill May and his brother Reg...
12-string electric guitar, which he donated to the collection of Powerhouse Museum
Powerhouse Museum
The Powerhouse Museum is the major branch of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney, the other being the historic Sydney Observatory...
in Sydney in 1999.
In 1988 he was inducted, along with George Young, into the inaugural class of the ARIA Hall of Fame
ARIA Hall of Fame
Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association has inducted artists into its ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone "ARIA Icons: Hall of Fame" event as only one or two acts could be inducted...
.
Selected list of songs written by Vanda and Young
- "Friday On My MindFriday on My Mind"Friday on My Mind" is a 1966 song by Australian rock group The Easybeats. Written by band members George Young and Harry Vanda, the track became a worldwide hit, reaching #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1967 in the US, #1 in Australia and #6 in the UK, as well as charting in several...
" - The EasybeatsThe EasybeatsThe Easybeats were an Australian rock and roll band. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and broke up at the end of 1969. They are regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s, and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their 1966 single...
, David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, LondonLondon (band)London were a four piece punk band formed in London in 1976 and were best known for their wild stage act. The original line-up was Riff Regan , Steve Voice , Jon Moss and Dave Wight . They were managed by Simon Napier-Bell and recorded two singles, a 4 track EP and an album for MCA Records in 1977...
, Gary MooreGary MooreRobert William Gary Moore , better known simply as Gary Moore, was a Northern Irish musician from Belfast, best recognised as a blues rock guitarist and singer....
(1987), Richard Thompson - "Good TimesGood Times (Easybeats song)"Good Times" was a song by The Easybeats released as a single in Australia in December 1968. It was written by George Young and Harry Vanda....
" - The Easybeats, INXSINXSINXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
& Jimmy BarnesJimmy BarnesJames Dixon Swan , better known as Jimmy Barnes, is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer-songwriter. His father Jim Swan was a prizefighter and his older brother John Swan is also a rock singer. It was actually John who had encouraged and taught Jim how to sing as he wasn't really interested at...
(1986) - "Evie, Parts 1, 2 & 3" - Stevie Wright (1974), Pat Travers BandPat TraversPatrick Henry "Pat" Travers is a Canadian rock guitarist, keyboardist and singer who began his recording career with Polydor Records in the mid-1970s...
(1978), The WrightsThe WrightsThe Wrights were a one-off Australian rock music "supergroup". They consisted of Nic Cester , Bernard Fanning , Phil Jamieson , Kram , Chris Cheney , Davey Lane and Pat Bourke...
(2004), Suzi QuatroSuzi QuatroSusan Kay "Suzi" Quatro is an American singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor.She scored a string of hit singles in the 1970s that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, and had a recurring role on the popular American sitcom Happy Days.-Music:Quatro began her... - "Hard Road - Stevie Wright, Rod StewartRod StewartRoderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
- "Black Eyed Bruiser - Stevie Wright (1975), Rose Tattoo (2007)
- "Love is in the AirLove Is in the Air"Love Is in the Air" is a 1977 disco song sung by John Paul Young. The song was written by George Young and Harry Vanda. It became his only worldwide hit during 1978, peaking at No. 2 on the Australian charts and No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, the song peaked at No. 7 on the...
" - John Paul YoungJohn Paul YoungJohn Paul Young is an Australian pop singer who had a 1978 worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air"...
(1978)/(1992) - "Standing In The Rain" - John Paul YoungJohn Paul YoungJohn Paul Young is an Australian pop singer who had a 1978 worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air"...
(1976) - "I Hate The Music" - John Paul YoungJohn Paul YoungJohn Paul Young is an Australian pop singer who had a 1978 worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air"...
(1976) - "Yesterday's Hero" - John Paul YoungJohn Paul YoungJohn Paul Young is an Australian pop singer who had a 1978 worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air"...
(1975), Bay City RollersBay City RollersThe Bay City Rollers were a Scottish pop band who were most popular in the 1970s. The British Hit Singles & Albums noted that they were "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh", and were "the first of many acts heralded as the 'Biggest Group since The Beatles' and one of the most screamed-at...
(1976) - "Down Among the Dead Men" - Flash and the PanFlash and the PanFlash and the Pan was an Australian New Wave musical group initiated during the late 1970s by Harry Vanda and George Young, both former members of The Easybeats...
(1978) - "Hey St Peter" - Flash and the PanFlash and the PanFlash and the Pan was an Australian New Wave musical group initiated during the late 1970s by Harry Vanda and George Young, both former members of The Easybeats...
1976 - "Walking in the Rain" - Flash and the PanFlash and the PanFlash and the Pan was an Australian New Wave musical group initiated during the late 1970s by Harry Vanda and George Young, both former members of The Easybeats...
, Grace JonesGrace JonesGrace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and... - "Waiting for a Train" - Flash and the PanFlash and the PanFlash and the Pan was an Australian New Wave musical group initiated during the late 1970s by Harry Vanda and George Young, both former members of The Easybeats...
- "Midnight Man" - Flash and the PanFlash and the PanFlash and the Pan was an Australian New Wave musical group initiated during the late 1970s by Harry Vanda and George Young, both former members of The Easybeats...
- "Runnin' for the Red Light (I Gotta Life)" - Meat LoafMeat LoafMichael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
- "Show No Mercy" - Mark WilliamsMark Williams (singer)Mark Williams is a New Zealand-born pop/soul singer with Recording Industry Association of New Zealand number one hit singles, "Yesterday Was Just the Beginning of My Life" and a cover of Buddy Holly's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" before he relocated to Australia later that year. His single,...
(1990)
Further reading
- John Tait. Vanda & Young. Inside Australia's Hit Factory.Published by University NSW Press Ltd. Australia, 2010. (ISBN 978 1 74223 217 1).