Harry Robertson (musician)
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Harry Robertson | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Henry MacLeod Robertson |
Also known as | Lord Rockingham, Harry Robinson |
Born | Elgin, Moray, Scotland | 19 November 1932
Died | 17 January 1996 London, England | (aged 63)
Occupation(s) | Musician, bandleader, music director, composer |
Years active | 1950s–1990s |
Henry MacLeod Robertson (19 November 1932 – 17 January 1996), often credited as Harry Robinson, was a Scottish musician, bandleader, music director and composer. He worked as a musical director on British television shows in the 1950s and 1960s, and also arranged for theatre shows and films, notably those of the Hammer production company.
Early life
He was the son of Henry Robertson of
Career
He started working occasionally as an arranger for Decca Records, before becoming the musical director for Tommy Steele. He explained that in the late 1950s he began using the name Robinson, as well as Robertson, in his professional activities:[1]
" It was whilst working at Decca that I had to change my name. This was because the cheque that they paid me with was made out to HARRY ROBINSON and not Robertson. It would have been a nightmare to try and change it and the bank would have been difficult, so out of laziness I suppose I opened an account in the name of Robinson. And that’s how Harry Robinson came about..."
Robertson was the musical director of the British television pop music programmes,
He arranged and conducted the
In 1968, he wrote the theme tune for a TV series, Journey to the Unknown, produced by Hammer Film Productions. He then began scoring films for the company. Robertson was the composer, arranger or screenwriter of these films and others:
- The File of the Golden Goose (1969)
- The Oblong Box (1969)
- Arthur? Arthur! (1969)
- The Vampire Lovers (1970)
- Countess Dracula (1971)
- Lust for a Vampire (1971)
- Fright (1971)
- Demons of the Mind (1972)
- Twins of Evil (1972)
- The Best Pair of Legs in the Business (1973)
- The House in Nightmare Park (1973)
- Hijack! (1975)
- Legend of the Werewolf (1975)
- The Ghoul (1975)
- Not Now, Comrade (1976)
- There Goes the Bride (1980)
Robertson also produced and composed the music of Hawk the Slayer (1980), Prisoners of the Lost Universe (1982) and Jane and the Lost City (1988),[3] co-writing the script of the first two. He wrote a number of film scripts, television series and books, including The Electric Eskimo, The Boy Who Never Was, Sammy's Super T-Shirt. He created and wrote the music for the TV series Virtual Murder.
Personal life
He married
Harry Robertson died in London in 1996.[1]
References
External links
- Harry Robertson at IMDb
- Harry Robinson discography at Discogs
- Harry Robertson at British Film Institute database