Rolf Harris

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Rolf Harris

Rolf Harris CBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a United Kingdom order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom....
, AM

Order of Australia

Australia

Musician

A musician is a person who plays or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument....
, singer, composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
, painter

Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting....
, and television host and personality

Presenter

A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an Collection ....
.

Biography
Named after Rolf Boldrewood, an Australian writer his mother admired, he was born in Bassendean

Bassendean, Western Australia

Bassendean is a northeastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia, Western Australia. Its Local Government Areas of Western Australia is the Town of Bassendean....
, a suburb of Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the List of Australian capital cities and largest city of the Australian States and territories of Australia of Western Australia. With a population of 1,554,769 , Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average....
, Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a States and territories of Australia occupying the entire western third of the Australia . The nation's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.1 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state....
, Australia

Australia

Cardiff

Cardiff is the Capital , largest city and most populous Unitary authority#Wales in Wales. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for many national cultural and sport institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of Welsh Assembly Government ....
, Wales

Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
. He is the nephew of Australian artist Pixie O'Harris

Pixie O'Harris

Pixie O'Harris, , Member of the Order of the British Empire , Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal , Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal , was an Australian artist, newspaper, magazine and book illustrator, author, broadcaster, caricaturist and cartoonist, designer of book plates, sheet music covers and stationery, and children's hospital...
, (1903-1991), i.e. Rhona Olive Pratt, née Harris.

As an adolescent and young adult, Harris was a champion swimmer being the Australian Junior 110 yards Backstroke Champion in 1946 and Western Australian state champion over a variety of distances and strokes during the period 1948–1952.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Rolf Harris'

Start a new discussion about 'Rolf Harris'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

Rolf Harris CBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a United Kingdom order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom....
, AM

Order of Australia

Australia

Musician

Composer

Painting

Presenter

A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an Collection ....
.

Biography

Named after Rolf Boldrewood, an Australian writer his mother admired, he was born in Bassendean

Bassendean, Western Australia

Bassendean is a northeastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia, Western Australia. Its Local Government Areas of Western Australia is the Town of Bassendean....
, a suburb of Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Western Australia

Australia

Cardiff

Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
. He is the nephew of Australian artist Pixie O'Harris

Pixie O'Harris

Perth Modern School

Perth Modern School is a prestigious and an Selective school, Public school, co-educational high school, located in Subiaco, Western AustraliaPerth Modern School, by its centenary in 2011, will become a purely academic selective school, catering for students with high academic ability....
in Subiaco

Subiaco, Western Australia

Subiaco is an inner western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, Western Australia, situated to the north of Kings Park. Its Local Government Areas of Western Australia is the City of Subiaco....
, and the University of Western Australia

University of Western Australia

The University of Western Australia is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia. Established in February 1911, it is the only university in the state to be a member of the prestigious Group of Eight , as well as the Sandstone universities....
. He met his wife, the Welsh sculptress and jeweller Alwen Hughes, while they were both art students, and they married on 1 March 1958. They have one daughter, Bindi Harris (born 10 March, 1964), who studied art at Bristol Polytechnic and is now a painter.

Music and art

Harris had experience in Perth on television in its early years, with his rapid drawing style and flair for amusing entertainment. He moved to England

England

City and Guilds of London Art School

The City and Guilds of London Art School is an art college in London, England, United Kingdom. It is one of the country's longest established art colleges, and offers courses ranging from Foundation Course, through B.A....
, Kennington

Kennington

Kennington is an area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a mixed class residential area, and is the location of the The Oval, the well-known cricket stadium....
, South London

South London

South London is the southern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes....
at the age of 22, notably illustrating Robert Harbin

Robert Harbin

Robert Harbin was a United Kingdom Magic ian and author. He is noted as the inventor of a number of classic illusions, including the Zig Zag Girl....
's Paper Magic (1956). He also had a few acting roles in British television programs and film as Harry in The Vise

The Vise

The Vise was a half-hour anthology series that aired at 9:30pm on Fridays on American Broadcasting Company from October 1, 1954 through December 16, 1955....
and as Pvt. Proudfoot in the 1955 film You Lucky People. Harris returned to Perth after art school and was involved in children's television shows. Some years later he returned to the United Kingdom to live. He has regularly returned to Perth over the years for family visits.

Harris has been credited with inventing a simple homemade instrument called the wobble board

Wobble board

The wobble board is an instrument popularized by the Australian musician and artist Rolf Harris and featured in his best-known song "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport"....
. This discovery was accidentally made in the course of his work when he attempted to dry a freshly painted hardboard with added heat, from hearing the sound made by the board as he held the board by the short edges to cool off. He suggests the effect can best be obtained through faint bouncing of a tempered hardboard or a thinner MDF

Medium-density fibreboard

Medium-density fibreboard is an engineered wood product formed by breaking down softwood into wood fibers, often in a defibrator, combining it with wax and a resin binder, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure....
board between the palms of one's hands. In 1959 he worked on TVW-7

TVW-7

TVW is a television station broadcasting in Perth, Western Australia, wholly owned by the Seven Network. It was the first television station in Western Australia, commencing service on October 16, 1959....
's first locally produced show Spotlight. During his time at TVW he recorded his hit "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport

Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport

"Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" is a song written by Rolf Harris in 1957 which became a hit across the world in the 1960s. Inspired by Harry Belafonte's calypsos, it is about an Australian stockman on his deathbed....
". The song was recorded on a single microphone placed above him in the TV studio. The song was sent to record company EMI

EMI

The EMI Group is a United Kingdom music company comprising the major record label EMI Music ? which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in London, England, United Kingdom ? and EMI Music Publishing, based in New York City....
in Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million . It is the List of Australian capital cities of New South Wales, and was the site of the first British Empire colony in Australia....
and it was soon released as a record. Rolf Harris offered four unknown backing musicians 10 percent of the royalties for the song, but they decided to take a recording fee of 28 pounds between them because they thought the song would be a flop The novelty song was originally titled "Kangalypso" and featured the distinctive sound of the "wobble board" which was played by "wobbling" it back and forth. The original recording of the song issued in Australia was considered controversial by some listeners because of the lyrics: "Let me abos go loose, Lew/ Let me abos go loose/ They're of no further use, Lew/ So let me abos go loose". The verse appears to refer to Aboriginal

Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians are the first human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands and their descendants. Indigenous Australians are distinguished as either Australian Aborigines or Torres Strait Islanders, who currently together make up about 2.6% of Australia's population....
servitude and captivity in a whimsically approving manner. In addition, the word "abo" was beginning to be seen as a term of abuse at the time. Most of the rest of the song refers to animals in captivity. The offending verse did not feature in later versions of the song. In 2006 Harris expressed his regret about the original lyrics.

Harris sang "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" (with The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were a rock music and pop music band from Liverpool, England that formed in 1960. During their career, the group primarily consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr ....
singing backing vocals) in the first edition of the From Us to You
From Me to You

"From Me to You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and released by The Beatles as a single in 1963. The single was the Beatles' first number one in some of the United Kingdom charts, second in others, but failed to make an impact in the United States at the time of its initial release....
BBC radio shows, in December, 1963. Harris completely customized the original lyrics to a version that was especially written for The Beatles:

"Cut yer hair once a year boys"

"Don't ill-treat me pet dingo, Ringo"

"George’s guitar's on the blink, I think"

"Prop me up by the wall, Paul"

"Keep the hits coming on, John"

Harris went on to use an array of unusual instruments in his music, including the didgeridoo

Didgeridoo

The didgeridoo is a wind musical instrument of the Australian Aborigines of northern Australia. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"....
(the sound of which was imitated on "Sun Arise" by four double bass

Double bass

The double bass or contrabass is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow string instrument used in the modern orchestra. It is a standard member of the string section of the orchestra and smaller string musical ensembles in European classical music....
es), Jew's harp

Jew's harp

The Jew's harp, jaw harp, mouth harp, Ozark harp, marranzano pancake, or Omaha Flapjack is thought to be one of the oldest musical instruments in the world ; a musician apparently playing it can be seen in a Chinese drawing from the 3rd century BC ....
and, later, the stylophone

Dubreq Stylophone

The Dubreq Stylophone is a miniature stylus operated synthesizer invented in 1967 by Brian Jarvis. It consists of a metal musical keyboard played by touching it with a stylus - each note being connected to a cheap Potential difference-controlled Electronic oscillator via a different-value resistor - thus closing a circuit....
. Harris has played the didgeridoo on two albums by English pop singer Kate Bush

Kate Bush

Kate Bush is an England singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and Idiosyncrasy lyrics have made her one of England's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years having sold over 20,000,000 records worldwide....
, 1982's The Dreaming
The Dreaming (album)

The Dreaming is the fourth album by the British singer Kate Bush. Following Bush's production assistance on Lionheart , and her Record producer of Never for Ever with Jon Kelly and John L Walters, The Dreaming was the first album Bush produced on her own....
and 2005's Aerial
Aerial (album)

Aerial is the eighth studio album by the British singer Kate Bush. Released on November 7, 2005, it was her first album since 1993. The album peaked at no.3 in the UK and has been certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry....
. Harris went on to create one of his most famous roles in the 1960s, Jake the Peg

Jake the Peg

"Jake the Peg" was a fictional three-legged man, played by Rolf Harris in the 1960s. The song was written in 1965 with Frank Roosen, a Dutchman in Vancouver, Canada....
but his biggest hit was in 1969 with his rendering of the US Civil War song" Two Little Boys

Two Little Boys

"Two Little Boys" is a song written by United States composer Theodore Morse and lyricist Edward Madden. It was written in 1902 and became a popular music hall song of the time, made popular by Harry Lauder....
", written in 1902. It was only recently that Rolf discovered a personal poignancy to the song because the story bears such a resemblance to the WWI experiences of his father Crom and his beloved younger brother Carl, who died at the age of 19 after being wounded in battle in France, just two weeks before the armistice of November 1918.

He also made several television appearances in which he would paint pictures on large boards in an apparently slapdash manner, with the odd nonsense song thrown in, but with detailed results. This was often accompanied by the phrase "Can you tell what is it yet?" just before the painting became recognisable. These appearances led to a string of TV series based on his artistic ability, notably Rolf Harris's Cartoon Time on BBC1 in the 1980s and Rolf's Cartoon Club
Rolf's Cartoon Club

Rolf's Cartoon Club was a television show presented by Rolf Harris on CITV between 1989 and 1993.The show had some similarities to Harris' earlier BBC programme, Rolf's Cartoon Time, in that it saw him introducing cartoons and drawing pictures of characters from them....
on CITV

CITV

CITV is the brand name used for the majority of children's television output on ITV's television stations, including the ITV Network, breakfast broadcaster GMTV and the ITV plc-owned CITV Channel as well as non ITV plc owned regions....
in the early 1990s. He also hosted a successful variety TV series in Canada

Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, which was a second home to Harris during the 1960s. In 1967 he hosted the BBC's A Song for Europe
A Song for Europe

A Song for Europe can mean:*A Song for Europe, the former name of the British national pre-selection competition for the Eurovision Song Contest, now known as Eurovision: Your Decision....
contest and provided UK commentary at that year's Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition....
in Vienna.

In his appearance on the BBC's Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs

Desert Island Discs is a long-running BBC Radio 4 programme. It was first broadcast on 29 January 1942 and is said by the Guinness Book of Records to be the longest-running music programme in the history of radio....
, on which guests are invited to choose eight pieces of music they would wish to have with them if stranded on a desert island, Harris famously chose eight of his own records, the only artist ever to have done so.

In 2000, Harris, along with Steve Lima released a dance track called "Fine Day" which entered the top 30 in the UK charts at that time. A 'Killie-themed'

Kilmarnock F.C.

Kilmarnock Football Club are a Scottish Football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" are the oldest club currently in the SPL....
version was recorded and scheduled for release in March 2007 to coincide with the Scottish football club's appearance in the Scottish League Cup final

Scottish League Cup

The Scottish Football League Cup is a association football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Co-operative Insurance Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with Co-operative Insurance Society....
after the song was adopted by the fans in 2003. One of the lyrics referred to the hypothetical situation in which Kilmarnock could be 5-0 down, which ironically was similar to the final score of 5-1.

In November and December 2002, under Charles Saumarez Smith's direction, London's National Gallery exhibited a collection of Harris's art. He was also commissioned to paint a portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known as the Commonwealth realms: Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Monarchy of Canada, Monarchy of Australia, Monarchy of New Zealand, Monarchy of Jamaica, Monarchy of Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Monarchy of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Sain...
for her 80th birthday, which was unveiled by Rolf Harris on 19 December 2005 at Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal entertaining, and a major tourist attraction....
. In his words, it is an impressionistic rather than photographic depiction. Some commentators found it to be offensive and unbecoming of the Queen, but the Queen herself expressed her approval at the painting after her final sitting, particularly with the way in which Harris had painted her smile. The story of the painting featured as a special edition of Rolf on Art. The special, called The Queen by Rolf, was broadcast on BBC One

BBC One

BBC One is the primary television channel of the BBC . It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular public television service with a high level of ....
on 1 January 2006. In his painting of the portrait of the Queen, Rolf Harris was following a family tradition — Harris' grandfather painted a portrait of the Queen's grandfather, King George V

George V of the United Kingdom

George V was the first British monarch belonging to the House of Windsor, which he created from the British branch of the German House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha....
(in which King George V was inspecting the troops).

In 2005, Rolf played the didgeridoo on Kate Bush

Kate Bush

Kate Bush is an England singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and Idiosyncrasy lyrics have made her one of England's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years having sold over 20,000,000 records worldwide....
's album Aerial
Aerial (album)

Aerial is the eighth studio album by the British singer Kate Bush. Released on November 7, 2005, it was her first album since 1993. The album peaked at no.3 in the UK and has been certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry....
, contributing vocals to the songs "An Architect's Dream" and "The Painter's Link". He also appears on the video to the lead single, "King of the Mountain", dancing with a white jumpsuit in a reference to Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was an United Statesn singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "List of honorific titles in popular music" or "The King"....
, one of the themes of the song.

1982 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony

Matilda, the winking kangaroo

Kangaroo

A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the Red Kangaroo, the Antilopine Kangaroo, and the Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo of the Macropus genus....
was the mascot

Mascot

The term mascot ? defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck ? colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or Brand....
for the 1982 Commonwealth Games

1982 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony of the 1982 Commonwealth Games was held on 30 September, 1982 at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia....
in Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the state List of Australian capital cities of Queensland and its most populous city. It is also the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, behind southern rivals Sydney and Melbourne....
, Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a States and territories of Australia of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south....
, Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
. When Matilda arrived at the stadium, she 'winked' to the crowd as she went around the stadium track — then her 'pouch' opened and several young children (about 5 years old to 7 years old), dressed as joey kangaroos, rushed out (then ran to — and jumped on — a number of trampoline

Trampoline

A trampoline is a gymnastic and recreational device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched over a steel frame using many coiled spring to provide a rebounding force which propels the jumper high into the air....
s which had been set up especially for them).

Harris, who was standing, complete with wobble board

Wobble board

The wobble board is an instrument popularized by the Australian musician and artist Rolf Harris and featured in his best-known song "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport"....
, at the back of a small truck, then sang a special rendition of his hit song "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport

Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport

"Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" is a song written by Rolf Harris in 1957 which became a hit across the world in the 1960s. Inspired by Harry Belafonte's calypsos, it is about an Australian stockman on his deathbed....
", which included some lyrics especially written for the Opening Ceremony:

Let me welcome you to the Games, friends,

Welcome you to the Games

Look, I don't know all of your names, friends,

But let me welcome you to the Games.

Following his singing of "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport", Harris sang "Waltzing Matilda

Waltzing Matilda

"Waltzing Matilda" is Australia's most widely known bush ballad, a country music folk song, and has been referred to as "the unofficial national anthem of Australia"....
". As well as a video tape recording of the Opening Ceremony being released, the music for the Opening Ceremony was released as an album and an audio tape, with Harris as one of the featured artists.

"Stairway to Heaven"

Harris' career received a boost in 1993 when his cover version

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition of a previously recorded, commercially released song.In its current use, it can sometimes have a pejorative meaning — implying that the original recording should be regarded as the definitive version, usually in the sense of an "authentic" rendition, and all...
of Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin were an English rock music band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page , Robert Plant , John Paul Jones and John Bonham . With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal music bands....
's "Stairway to Heaven

Stairway to Heaven

"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the English rock music band Led Zeppelin. It was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band's fourth studio album, Led Zeppelin IV ....
" became a hit, reaching number 7 of the UK singles chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The chart week runs from Sunday to Saturday, with the chart being printed in Music Week magazine , ChartsPlus , and published online on various sites ....
. Harris originally performed the song, live, during an appearance on the television comedy show The Money or the Gun
The Money or the Gun

The Money or the Gun was an Australian comedy / talk-show on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1989-1990, with occasional specials until 1994....
. Each episode of The Money or the Gun featured a rendition of Stairway to Heaven but in the idiosyncratic style of another performer. Harris' version of the song recreated the song in the style of "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport", complete with wobble board and didgeridoo solos. Although he had the sheet music, Harris claims that he had not heard the original version when he recorded his; as such, he disavows any claim that his version was intended to be irreverent or humorous. Harris' version was one of 28 versions of the song performed on the show — and his version is one of the 25 versions of the song which was released on the The Money or the Gun's Stairways to Heaven videotape and CD (Harris' single comes from the same recording of his version of the song).

Recordings and appearances

Harris also recorded a version of Queen

Queen (band)

Queen were an England rock music band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, lead vocalist Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Meddows-Taylor, with bassist John Deacon completing the lineup the following year....
's "Bohemian Rhapsody

Bohemian Rhapsody

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the English Rock music band Queen . It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera ....
" around this time. He performed The Divinyls' "I Touch Myself

I Touch Myself

"I Touch Myself" is a 1991 pop rock song written by Christina Amphlett, Tom Kelly , Billy Steinberg and Mark McEntee for Australian rock band Divinyls' self titled album....
" — accompanied only by his wobble board — for Andrew Denton

Andrew Denton

Andrew Christopher Denton is an Australian comedian and Gold Logie nominated television presenter, and is the host of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation weekly interview program Enough Rope....
's Musical Challenge on the MMM

MMM

MMM may have one of the following meanings:* MMM is the the way Marketing mix modeling is known in the Market Research Industry*The number 3000, in Roman numerals...
Breakfast Show (the recording was released on the first Musical Challenge compilation album in 2000). Later that year he made his first appearance at the Glastonbury Festival

Glastonbury Festival

The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or Glasto, is one of the largest music and performing arts festivals in the world....
in what was seen as a novelty act. He played it again in 1998, 2000 and 2002.

Harris has also recorded an Australian Christmas song called "Six White Boomers", about a joey Kangaroo trying to find his mother during Christmas time, and how Santa Claus used six large-size male Kangaroo

Kangaroo

Reindeer

The reindeer , also known as the caribou when wild in North America, is an Arctic and Subarctic-dwelling deer, widespread and numerous across the northern Holarctic....
(to put an Australian spin on the traditional story) to pull his sleigh and help the little joey find his "Mummy".

In October 2008, Harris announced he would re-record his 1969 hit "Two Little Boys

Two Little Boys

Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir

The Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir , also known as the Fron Choir , is an award-winning amateur male voice choir based in the village of Froncysyllte, near Llangollen in Denbighshire, Wales....
, to mark the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I. Proceeds from the new release went to The Poppy Appeal. Harris was inspired to make the recording after participating in My Family at War, a short series of programmes in the BBC's Remembrance season, which was broadcast in November 2008. He discovered that the experiences of his father and uncle during the Great War mirrored the lyrics of the song.

Television career

Harris has had a long career on British television, chiefly on the BBC. He was already a well-known face on television when The Rolf Harris Show first appeared in 1967, and throughout the 1970s and early 1980s this series in various formats remained a popular light-entertainment staple, latterly being broadcast on Saturday evenings as Rolf on Saturday OK? Between 1989-1993 he presented Rolf's Cartoon Club
Rolf's Cartoon Club

Rolf's Cartoon Club was a television show presented by Rolf Harris on CITV between 1989 and 1993.The show had some similarities to Harris' earlier BBC programme, Rolf's Cartoon Time, in that it saw him introducing cartoons and drawing pictures of characters from them....
, an ITV

ITV

ITV is a public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom television network of British television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC....
children's show which combined Harris' love of art with showings of children's cartoons. The show also gave out tips to children on how to draw and create easy animation techniques, like flickbooks.

Harris was also the commentator for the United Kingdom

United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest

The United Kingdom first participated at the Eurovision Song Contest in Eurovision Song Contest 1957, the second contest. The BBC had wanted to take part in the first contest in Eurovision Song Contest 1956, but had submitted their entry to the European Broadcasting Union after the deadline had passed....
in the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest.

From 1994-2004, he was the host of the reality television

Reality television

Reality television is a genre of television programming which presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors....
programme Animal Hospital
Animal Hospital

Animal Hospital was a television show starring Rolf Harris that ran on the BBC from 1994 until 2004. The story showed animal welfare stories from RSPCA hospitals....
, which chronicled the real-life activity of a British veterinary practice

Veterinary medicine

Veterinary medicine is that branch of medical science,which deals with the study of diagnosis,treatment and prevention of diseases in companion,domestic, exotic, wildlife and production animals....
. Rolf then adopted a Border Collie

Border Collie

The Border Collie is a Dog breed of herding dog that originated along the borders of England, Wales and Scotland. They are widely regarded as the most intelligent dog breed....
that had been abandoned at the vets, named Rocky. Rolf presented 19 series of Animal Hospital for BBC One. It was five times winner in the Most Popular Factual Entertainment Show category of The National TV Awards.

More recently, he presented Rolf on Art
Rolf on Art

Rolf on Art is a British Art television series made by the BBC. It was hosted by Rolf Harris, the Australian television presenter. The series began in 2001, and the most recent episode was made in 2007....
, which highlighted the work of some of his favourite artists, including van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh

Vincent Willem van Gogh was a Dutch people Post-Impressionism artist. Some of his paintings are now among the world's best known, most popular and expensive works of art....
, Degas

Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas , born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas , was a French artist famous for his work in painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism although he rejected the term, and preferred to be called a realist....
, Monet

Claude Monet

Claude Monet also known as Oscar-Claude Monet or Claude Oscar Monet was a founder of French impressionism painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting....
and Gauguin

Paul Gauguin

Eug?ne Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading Post-Impressionism Painting. His bold experimentation with coloring led directly to the Synthetism style of modern art while his expression of the inherent meaning of the subjects in his paintings, under the influence of the cloisonnist style, paved the way to Primitivism and the return to the pastoral...
. Rolf on Art
Rolf on Art

Rolf on Art is a British Art television series made by the BBC. It was hosted by Rolf Harris, the Australian television presenter. The series began in 2001, and the most recent episode was made in 2007....
which made TV history when it gained the highest TV ratings ever for an Arts programme, is now in its sixth year. On 26 September 2004 Harris fronted a project to recreate John Constable

John Constable

John Constable was an England Romanticism painting. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for his landscape art of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home?now known as "Constable Country"?which he invested with an intensity of affection....
's famous The Hay Wain
The Hay Wain

The Hay Wain is an oil on canvas painting by John Constable. It was finished in 1821 and shows a hay wain near Flatford Mill on the River Stour, Suffolk in Suffolk....
painting on a massive scale, with 150 people contributing to a small section. Each individual canvas was assembled into the full picture live on the BBC, in the show Rolf on Art: The Big Event. He was named as one of the Radio Times
Radio Times

Radio Times is the BBC's weekly television and radio programme listings magazine. It also provides on-line listings....
list of the top 40 most eccentric TV presenters of all time in July 2004.

The story of Rolf Harris' portrait painting of Queen Elizabeth II featured as a special edition of Rolf on Art, broadcast on BBC One

BBC One

BBC One is the primary television channel of the BBC . It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular public television service with a high level of ....
on 1 January 2006. Harris's portrait of The Queen was voted by readers of the Radio Times the third favourite portrait of Her Majesty. The royal portrait was exhibited at Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace

Holyrood Palace

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, or informally Holyrood Palace, founded as a monastery by David I of Scotland in 1128, has served as the principal residence of the Kings and Queens of Scotland since the fifteenth century....
in Edinburgh, and was exhibited on a tour of public galleries in the UK.

In September 2006 the Royal Australian Mint launched the first of the new 2007 Silver Kangaroo Collector's Coin series. Harris was commissioned to design the first coin in the series. For the third year running, Harris designed and painted the official Children In Need Christmas card. Harris has presented three series of the BBC art programme Star Portraits with Rolf Harris
Star Portraits with Rolf Harris

Star Portraits with Rolf Harris was a BBC television series that has so far had three series. A third series started airing in March 2007. In it, 3 artists each paint a picture of a celebrity, and then the celebrity gets to choose to keep one of them....
. In 2007, a documentary A Lifetime in Paint about Harris' work as an artist - from the early years in Australia to the present day - was screened on BBC One, followed by a Rolf On Art special titled Rolf on Lowry
Lowry

Lowry may refer to:...
.

In November 2007 at exhibition of Harris' new paintings was held at Portland Gallery

Portland Gallery

The Portland Gallery is an art gallery in City of Westminster, London, located near Piccadilly Circus. It was established in 1984 by Thomas Hewlett....
, London. In December 2007 a new DVD titled Rolf Live! was released through his website.

Rolf on Art: Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter

Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, mycology and Conservation movement who was best known for her many best-selling Children's literature that featured animal characters, such as Peter Rabbit....
was screened on BBC One in December 2007.

Harris appeared with a wobble board in a Churchill Insurance advertisement in 2009.

Honours

Harris was made a Commander of the British Empire

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a United Kingdom order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom....
(CBE) on 17 June 2006, having previously been created a Member (MBE) in 1968 and an Officer (OBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a United Kingdom order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom....
) in 1977.

On 26 January 1989, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia

Order of Australia

The Order of Australia is an Order established by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Monarchy of Australia on 14 February 1975 "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"....
(AM)

In 1975 he was appointed King of Moomba
Moomba

For the town in South Australia, Australia, see Moomba, South Australia.Moomba is an annual festival in the city of Melbourne, Australia and one of the largest and longest running festivals in Australia....

On 1 July 2008, Harris was inducted into 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 under the old format due to time restric...
, he was joined on-stage by The Seekers

The Seekers

The Seekers were a group of Australian folk music-influenced pop music musicians that was formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian popular music group to achieve significant chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States....
to perform "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport

Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport

Jake the Peg

"Jake the Peg" was a fictional three-legged man, played by Rolf Harris in the 1960s. The song was written in 1965 with Frank Roosen, a Dutchman in Vancouver, Canada....
routine.

Discography

Title	Release date	Notes	Label
Rolf Harris Sings At The Down Under Club	1959		Queensway Records
Sun Arise	1963		Epic
The Original Sun Arise	1963		Epic
The Court of King Caractacus	1964		Epic
All Together Now	1965		MFP
To my Darling Ronza	1966		Epic
Man With The Microphone	1966		Columbia Records
At the Cave, Vancouver (live)	1966		Capitol
Shamus O'Sean The Leprechaun	1966		MFP
It's A Rolf World	1968		Capitol Records
The Rolf Harris Show	1968		Columbia Records
Rolf Harris Live! At The Talk Of The Town	1969		Columbia Records
Mary's Boy Child	1970		Columbia Records
Instant Music	1971		Columbia Records
Jake The Peg In Vancouver Town	1971	#61 (Canada)	Capitol Records
The Boy From Bassendean	1972		Rolf Harris Enterprises
In Many Moods	1973		Columbia Records
You Name It	1973	Canadian Release	Capitol Records
Mirrored Image	1976		EMI Records
Turn On	1976	Canadian Release	Capitol Records
Rolf On Saturday OK?	1979		BBC
Cartoon Time Favourites	1987		BBC
Ideal	1991		EMI Records
Rolf Rules OK?	1992		Polygram Music / Australian Broadcasting Commission
Animal Magic	1996		EMI Records
Bootleg	1999		Rolf Harris Enterprises
Definitive Rolf Harris	1999		EMI
She'll Be Right	1999		Festival Records and EMI Records
70/30	2000		Rolf Harris Enterprises
The Best Of Rolf Harris	2000		EMI Records
King Rolf	2001		Disky

Singles

Date	Title	UK chart position	Catalogue
21 July 1960	"Tie My Kangaroo Down Sport" / "Nick Teen And Al K. Hall"	9	Columbia 45-DB 4483
1961	"Tame Eagle" / "Uncomfortable Yogi"	N/A	Columbia 45-DB 4556
1961	"Six White Boomers" / "I've Lost My Mummy"	N/A	Columbia 45-DB 4740
25 October 1962	"Sun Arise" / "Someone's Pinched My Winkles"	3	Columbia 45-DB 4888
28 February 1963	"Johnny Day" / "In The Wet"	44	Columbia 45-DB 4979
1963	"I Know A Man" / "Living It Up"	N/A	Columbia DB 7064
1964	"Ringo For President" / "Head Hunter"	N/A	Columbia DB 7349
1964	"The Court Of King Caractacus" / "The Five Young Apprentices"	N/A	Columbia DB 7450
1965	"Iko Iko" / "Sydney Town"	N/A	Columbia DB 7554
1965	"War Canoe" / "Linda"	N/A	Columbia DB 7669
1965	"Jake The Peg" / "Big Dog"	N/A	Columbia DB 7803
1966	"Hev Yew Gotta Loight, Boy?" / "Animals Pop Party"	N/A	Columbia DB 8014
1967	"Fijian Girl" / "You Got What It Takes"	N/A	Columbia DB 8168
1967	"If I Was A Richman" / "Booralola"	N/A	Columbia DB 8191
1967	"I've Never Seen Anything Like It" / "Willy, Willy"	N/A	Columbia DB 8285
1967	"Pukka Chicken" / "Here Come The Bees (Love Has Gone)"	N/A	Columbia DB 8314
1968	"Hurry Home" / "Paris With You"	N/A	Columbia DB 8349
1968	"The Bloke That Invented Beer" / "Have A Beer"	N/A	Columbia DB 8475
16 April 1969	"Bluer Than Blue" / "The Monster"	30	Columbia DB 8553
22 November1969	"Two Little Boys" / "I Love My Love"	1	Columbia DB 8630
1970	"Tennessee Birdwalk" / "Ned Kelly"	N/A	Columbia DB 8700
1970	"Mary's Boy Child" / "Christmas Is Here"	N/A	Columbia DB 8730
1971	"Take Back The Things (That We Said)" / "Salvation Army Citadel"	N/A	Columbia DB 8762
1971	"Vancouver Town '71" /	68 (Canada)	Capitol 72645-F
1971	"A Ram Sam Sam" / "Go Back Home"	N/A	Columbia DB 8838
1972	"So Earlye In The Evenin'" / "Watch Your Step"	N/A	Columbia DB 8876
1972	"She'll Be Right" / "Jindabyne"	N/A	Columbia DB 8961
1972	"Tutankamun" / "A Friend Like Me"	N/A	Columbia DB 8905
1974	"Papillon" / "Relax With Rolf"	N/A	EMI 2154
1974	"Little Pal" / "Lazy Day"	N/A	EMI 2238
1974	"Presbyterian Church" / "Black Midnight Swamp"	N/A	EMI 2286
1975	"Happy Birthday, Father Christmas" / "MacAdam"	N/A	EMI 2380
1976	"Yarrabangee"	N/A	EMI 2462
1978	"Back To W.A." / "Old Man Emu"	N/A	Interfusion K7322
1979	"Stuck On The Ice" / "The Gendarmes' Duet" (With Crom Harris)	N/A	Columbia DB 9069
1981	"Hey Jimmy Johnson" / "Ginger Tom"	N/A	Rolf Harris Enterprides RHE 1
1981	"War Canoe" / "Linda" (Re-Issue)	N/A	EMI 5244
1982	"The Dreaming" / "Dreamtime" (Kate Bush, both tracks feature Rolf on didgeridoo)	48	EMI 5296
1985	"Tommy (From 88 Pine)" / "Pavlova"	N/A	Tembo Records TML 111
1991	"Stylophonia" / "Stylophonia" (Land Of Aus Instru-Mental) (Two Little Boys, featuring sampled Rolf Harris vocal. Rolf performed and promoted the song on T.V.)	N/A	T.A. Scam Recordings MFD 005
1991	"Sun Arise" / "Two Little Boys" (Re-Issue)	N/A	EMI EM 210
1992	"Stylophonia" ('92 Vocal Re-edit)/ "Stylophonia" (Two Little Boys, featuring sampled Rolf Harris vocal. Rolf performed and promoted the song on T.V.)	N/A	T.A. Scam Recordings MFD 005
13 February 1993	"Stairway To Heaven" / "Stairway To Heaven" (By The Australian Doors)	7	Vertigo VER 73
12 December 1995	"Ego Sum Pauper" / "Ego Sum Pauper" (Rolfamix) / "Old Shep"	92	Rolf Harris Enterprises CD RHE 9
1 June 1996	"Bohemian Rhapsody" / "This Is A Didgeridoo"	50	Living Beat LBECD 41
25 October 1997	"Sun Arise" / "Sun Arise" (808 State Remix)	26	EMI CDROO 001
14 October2000	"Fine Day" / "Fine Day" (Remix)	24	Tommy Boy TBCD 2155

External links

BFI Database: Rolf Harris