Harry Vanda
born on 22/3/1946 in Den Haag, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Harry Vanda
Harry Vanda (born Johannes Hendricus Jacob van den Berg; 22 March 1946) is a Dutch-born Australian popular music singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for being a member of the group The Easybeats.
Career
Vanda's family migrated to Australia from the Netherlands in 1964, and settled in Sydney. Vanda, who had been guitarist with the Hague-based band The Starfighters,[1] came to fame in 1964-65 as the lead guitarist of the popular Australian group The Easybeats. In the same year he met rhythm guitarist George Young in a Sydney migrants' hostel. In 2007, Australian Musician selected this meeting as the most significant event in Australian pop and rock music history.[2]
In 1966, Vanda began a successful and enduring writing partnership with Young; together they penned many of The Easybeats' 1960s recordings, including their major international hit, "Friday On My Mind".
After The Easybeats disbanded in 1970, Vanda & Young moved to the UK and continued their writing and performing partnership.
In 1973, Vanda & 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 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.
They 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 1990s, 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.[3]
His first son John married a Dutch woman, Esther Oesterholt and lives in the Netherlands. They have two children, Mariska and Christian.
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.[4]
In 1988 he was inducted, along with George Young, into the inaugural class of the ARIA Hall of Fame.[5]
Selected list of songs written by Vanda and Young
- "Friday On My Mind" - The Easybeats, David Bowie, London, Gary Moore (1987), Richard Thompson
- "Good Times" - The Easybeats, INXS & Jimmy Barnes (1986)
- "Evie, Parts 1, 2 & 3" - Stevie Wright (1974), Pat Travers Band (1978), The Wrights (2004), Suzi Quatro
- "Hard Road - Stevie Wright, Rod Stewart
- "Black Eyed Bruiser - Stevie Wright (1975), Rose Tattoo (2007)
- "Love is in the Air" - John Paul Young (1978)/(1992)
- "Standing In The Rain" - John Paul Young (1976)
- "I Hate The Music" - John Paul Young (1976)
- "Yesterday's Hero" - John Paul Young (1975), Bay City Rollers (1976)
- "Down Among the Dead Men" - Flash and the Pan (1978)
- "Hey St Peter" - Flash and the Pan 1976
- "Walking in the Rain" - Flash and the Pan, Grace Jones
- "Waiting for a Train" - Flash and the Pan
- "Midnight Man" - Flash and the Pan
- "Runnin' for the Red Light (I Gotta Life)" - Meat Loaf
- "Show No Mercy" - Mark Williams (1990)
References
- Dutch interview 2012
- Shedden, Iain, Sounds of the:The legacy of Australia's first internationally successful rock band endures, 27 September 2008.
- JOHN TAIT. Vanda & Young, Inside Australia's Hit Factory. Published by University NSW Press Ltd. Australia, 2010. (ISBN 9781742-232171)
- Vanda's 12 string guitar
- ARIA Hall of Fame
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).
External links
- Albert Music: Easybeats Facts
AC/DC |
Brian Johnson Cliff Williams Angus Young Malcolm Young Phil Rudd |
Bon Scott Dave Evans Mark Evans Chris Slade Simon Wright |
Albums and videos |
Studio albums: High Voltage (Aus.) T.N.T. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (Aus.) High Voltage Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap Let There Be Rock (Aus.) Let There Be Rock Powerage Highway To Hell Back in Black For Those About to Rock Flick of the Switch '74 Jailbreak Fly on the Wall Who Made Who Blow Up Your Video The Razors Edge Ballbreaker Bonfire Volts Stiff Upper Lip |
Live albums: If You Want Blood Live Live: 2 CD Collector's Edition Live from the Atlantic Studios Let There Be Rock: The Movie |
Films and videos: AC/DC: Let There Be Rock Fly on the Wall Who Made Who AC/DC Clipped Live At Donington For Those About To Rock No Bull Stiff Upper Lip Live Live '77 Toronto Rocks Family Jewels |
Production |
Harry Vanda George Young Robert John "Mutt" Lange Bruce Fairbairn Rick Rubin |
Related articles |
Past members of AC/DC ACDC Lane AC/DC remasters List of rare AC/DC songs List of tributes to AC/DC in popular culture Bon Scott Rarities In the Beginning |
The Easybeats | |
---|---|
Stevie Wright · Harry Vanda · George Young · Dick Diamonde · Snowy Fleet Tony Cahill | |
Singles (Albert Productions, Aus) |
"For My Woman" · She's So Fine" · "Wedding Ring" · "Sad, Lonely and Blue " (1965) · "Women" · "Come and See Her" · "Sorry" · "Friday on My Mind" (1966) · "Do You Have a Soul" · "Heaven and Hell" · "The Music Goes Round My Head" (1967) · "Hello How Are You?" · "Good Times" · "Lay Me Down and Die" (1968) · " St. Louis" · "H.P. Man" (1969) |
Studio albums | Easy · It's 2 Easy · Volume 3 · Vigil · Friends |
Related articles | Ted Albert · Shel Talmy (producer) · Vanda & Young (producers) |
This article uses material from the article Harry Vanda from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.