Harry Vanda

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Harry Vanda
Harry Vanda 1968 (cropped).jpg
Vanda performing in 1968
Background information
Birth nameJohannes Hendrikus Jacob van den Berg
Born (1946-03-22) 22 March 1946 (age 78)
Voorburg, Netherlands
Origin Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genres Rock
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
Years active1964–present
Labels Albert Productions

Johannes Hendrikus Jacob van den Berg (born 22 March 1946), better known as his stage name Harry Vanda, is an Australian musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as lead guitarist of the 1960s Australian rock band the Easybeats who with fellow member George Young formed the 1970s and 1980s songwriting and record production duo Vanda & Young.

Contents

Early life

Johannes Hendrikus Jacob van den Berg was born in Voorburg, a town in the Province of South Holland in the Netherlands in 1946. [1] His parents were Henricus Cornelius van den Berg (born 14 September 1923), a mechanic from the Netherlands and Lisa Berg-Warsozk (born 19 September 1924), who was Polish. [1] Harry's parents got married on 9 June 1945. [1] From 1942–1945, Henricus was under Forced labour under German rule during World War II. [1]

Vanda's family migrated to Australia from the Netherlands in 1963, [1] and settled in Sydney. In the same year he met rhythm guitarist George Young at the Villawood migrant hostel. In 2007, Australian Musician magazine selected this meeting as the most significant event in Australian pop and rock music history. [2]

Career

The Easybeats

Vanda, who had been a guitarist with the Hague-based band the Starfighters, [3] came to fame in 1964–65 as the lead guitarist of the Easybeats.

Vanda's ability to speak the English language was still very limited when the band were at their peak. [4] Easybeats bassist Dick Diamonde, who was also a Dutch Australian, would help him learn English. [5] By 1966, Vanda was nearly fluent in English and he and George Young penned many of the Easybeats' later recordings, including their major international hit, "Friday On My Mind".

When I met Harry Vanda he could hardly speak a line of English and now he can speak it better than me - he teaches me words.

—  Stevie Wright [6]

After the Easybeats disbanded in 1970, Vanda & Young remained in the UK and continued their writing and performing partnership.

Vanda and Young

In 1973, Vanda and Young returned to Australia and took over as the house producers for leading independent record production company, Albert Productions, and publisher J. Albert & Son. From 1974 onwards they enjoyed huge success in Australia and internationally, 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.[ citation needed ] 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.[ citation needed ]

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. Grace Jones had a hit with a cover of the Flash and the Pan song "Walking in the Rain".

Later work

By the late 1990s, Vanda and Young had left their longtime partnership with Albert Productions, and 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.

Instruments

Vanda used a 1964 Höfner 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. [7] In addition, Vanda owned the red Gretsch Jet Firebird double cutaway guitar that was given to George Young's younger brother Malcolm. This guitar, nicknamed "The Beast", saw numerous modifications and was Malcolm Young's primary guitar throughout his career with AC/DC.

Personal life

Vanda's married his first wife, Pamela Joyce Higgins, in New South Wales on 11 December 1964. [8] They had one child together, Johan, who was born in January 1966. [8] On 4 July 1966, Harry found Pamela dead in their flat in Sydney. She had committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills aged 21. [8] [9] She took her own life after being informed she was unable to move to England with Vanda and the rest of the band. [8]

Honours

In 1988 he was inducted, along with George Young, into the inaugural class of the ARIA Hall of Fame. [10]

Since 2009, Albert Music and APRA AMCOS have held the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition , named after the musicians.

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Diamonde</span> Australian musician

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Young (rock musician)</span> Australian rock musician (1946–2017)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friday on My Mind</span> 1966 single by The Easybeats

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Vanda & Young were an Australian songwriting and producing duo composed of Harry Vanda and George Young. They performed as members of 1960s Australian rock group the Easybeats where Vanda was their lead guitarist and backing singer and Young was their rhythm guitarist and backing singer. Vanda & Young co-wrote all of the Easybeats' later songs including their international hit "Friday on My Mind" and they produced themselves from 1967. Young was the older brother of Malcolm and Angus Young of the hard rock band AC/DC and younger brother of Alexander Young of the English band Grapefruit.

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Marcus Hook Roll Band were a studio group formed in London in 1972, by Harry Vanda and George Young as a session band to record their songwriting efforts. The group had two versions from London and Sydney – formed in mid-1973, when Vanda and Young returned to Australia. They issued three singles – "Natural Man" (1972), "Louisiana Lady" (1973) and "Can't Stand the Heat" (1974) – and one album – Tales of Old Grand-Daddy (1974). It is noted for being the first recording experience for Malcolm and Angus Young prior to forming AC/DC.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "VAN DEN BERG Henricus Cornelis born 14 September 1923; Lisa nee Warzozskaja akj nee Berg-Warsozk born 19 September 1924; Johannes Hendrikus Jacob born 22 March 1946 - Dutch - travelled per ship NAMA, ORANJE departing in 1963 under the Australian and Netherlands Governments Migration Agreement".
  2. ↑ Shedden, Iain (27 September 2008). "Sounds of the:The legacy of Australia's first internationally successful rock band endures". The Australian .
  3. ↑ Dutch interview 2012 on YouTube
  4. ↑ "A TWO-MAN PANDEMIC - Record Collector Magazine" . Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  5. ↑ "stevie-interview". www.milesago.com. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  6. ↑ "Stevie-interview".
  7. ↑ "Objects through Time - Maton 12 string electric guitar". Archived from the original on 4 September 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2007.
  8. 1 2 3 4 rockportraits (28 September 2014). "The Easybeats". rockportraits. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  9. ↑ 4therecordcomau (19 July 2021). "VANDA AND YOUNG 1965-1983". 4The Record. Retrieved 13 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ "ARIA Icons: Hall Of Fame". Aria.com.au. Retrieved 26 July 2017.

Further reading

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