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Old pops can beat the idols

Old pops can beat the idols
by Graham Smith

Freelance journalist Graham Smith, of Mediaworld, on why a golden oldie is
causing a musical stir.


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If music was the food of love half of today’s pop stars would be sex starved, but you cannot beat a good old timer.

I’ve been watching Pop Idols with interest and actively support the growing “Shove a CD up Simon Callow’s left nostril” group. They should be given a Lottery grant.

But hope is at hand. Forget the suggestive gyrations and falsetto screaming, get a load of Harry Harland and his harmonica.

Who? Harry Harland you fools, he’s going to be bigger than Robbie Williams and Madonna put together, especially with his mouth organ…now come on that’s your dirty minds encouraged by disreputable daily newspapers.

Harry and his harmonica from Hartlepool have spawned Harmania. The world has gone mad for virtuoso Harry’s CD of his favourite tracks and at 68 he could become the latest pop idol thanks to his renderings of such classics as Scarborough Fair and It Had to be You.

Recording under the title of Harry Harland the Harmaniac, he made the CD for fun. It features 12 tracks and a cover of Harry in a woodland scene. The Hartlepool Mail office was inundated with calls when it was released and already Harmonica Harry has been on Century Radio. A former Press photographer, Harry could soon be avoiding the paparazzi himself, although he has no plans to put the CD on general release.

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