Anita Harris

Anita Harris built her reputation as a versatile performer whose talents encompassed singing, acting, and dance. Her recordings benefited from the same musical arranger Kenny Clayton who worked with Petula Clark, and the purity of her voice drew parallels to Clark along with other leading female vocalists of the mid- to late 1950s. Born on June 3, 1942, in Midsomer Norton, Somerset, she entered the entertainment industry immediately after leaving school by heading to Las Vegas for training in choreographed skating. Her initial paid work nevertheless came as a vocalist with the easy-listening group the Cliff Adams Singers, whose long-running BBC radio series Sing Something Simple presented mainly MOR ballads and show tunes from 1959 until creator Cliff Adams died in 2001. She first appeared on disc supported by the John Barry Seven, yet the resulting double A-side coupling “I Haven’t Got You” with “Mr One And Only” failed to register with listeners. Turning to screen roles, she gained widespread notice for her spirited characterizations in a pair of Carry On comedies, Carry on Doctor and Follow That Camel, both released in 1967. That same year marked her strongest chart presence when Dusty Springfield supplied her with the Tom Springfield composition “Just Loving You,” which rose to number six. Two additional singles followed, each a cover—“Anniversary Waltz” and “Dream a Little Dream of Me.” Her sole album-chart entry arrived early in 1968 when Just Loving You climbed to number 29. Throughout the 1970s she made guest appearances on several television shows, among them The Morecambe & Wise Show, and she also served as co-host of the David Nixon Magic Show. She continued to surface as herself on screen through 2001, notably in Boom Boom: The Best of the Original Basil Brush Show, French & Saunders, and Bob Monkhouse: A BAFTA Tribute.