Harry Williamson has been a sound engineer and musician for more than 35 years.
He was part of the 70s progressive music scene in England. He has many connections with Gong and also recorded the critically acclaimed album 'Tarka' with Anthony Phillips (formerly of Genesis).
Harry moved to Australia in 1982 where he worked at the Princess Theatre and later at Richmond Recorders before setting up his own facilities.
Early Years
Harry's interest in music began at age 5 when he played and sang in his mother’s primary school music/dance troupe. On the way home from school, he'd let himself into a deserted Methodist chapel and play harmonium for hours until the light faded.He spent a bohemian childhood living in a caravan in a field overlooking the North Devon coast with his mother Christine and father Henry Williamson, acclaimed author of over 50 novels, including 'Tarka the Otter'. When he was nine, he won a scholarship and became a choir boy at Exeter Cathedral, under Lionel Dakers (later head of RSCM in London), where he learned to sight-read, and started piano and organ lessons. He later took guitar lessons from his brother in law, guitar virtuoso Julian Bream, played in various jazz and rock bands at Millfield School where he met Richard McPhail who introduced him to Genesis, and played in big bands, jazz combos and rock groups whilst studying physics at Imperial College, London.
The Theatre
In 1971, after crewing at the first Glastonbury Festival, he became assistant stage manager at that Legendary 'Fillmore Far-East', the Rainbow Theatre, in Finsbury Park. London.
He setup and helped mix bands like The Byrds, Pink Floyd, Santana, Curtis Mayfield, Frank Zappa and the Who. He was also involved with the early Glastonbury festivals, helping build the first pyramid with Bill Harkin and later helping to stage the controversial 1976 Rolling Stones European tour which used the first truly portable acoustically designed tensile structure. This was standing at Roskilde Festival in Denmark until it was replaced by a canopy of the same design in 2001. It has become a national icon.
Concurrently with this he was writing music with Anthony Phillips, ex-Genesis.
He lived in a multicolored converted furniture lorry for two years and, for a quid, started the first 'whole food' delivery service to Devon. Later he toured with the truck and a home-made stage and pyramidal tent playing in N
ick Turner's production of the 'Egyptian Book of the Dead' with the band Sphinx, playing at
Stonehenge, Edinburgh Festival and Findhorn! Shortly after he met and married Gilli Smyth and joined the Gong family. Harry & Gilli & their extended family moved to Australia in 19
82, and Harry continued recording, touring and living with them until 1992. After his divorce he spent several years with Australian born singer Liz Van Dort, working under the name of 'faraway'.
Now
he lives in Melbourne, and writes, arranges and produces music for a vast range of friends and clients, ranging from a 360 voice choir to South Indian classical, Maori R&B, Rap, Theatre, Jazz, some indie Rock - - you name it. In the last few years he has diversified into video camerawork, production and editing, which he greatly enjoys.He has recently completed a series of full length DVD's for international release of a concert he filmed in Amsterdam in November 2006 featuring 10 bands form the Gong family - the GONG Unconventional - see under 'Recent Video Productions'
He is working with his long time partner Maribel Steel on a world premier performance of Tarka scheduled for Feb 27th 2010 at Melbourne Town Hall