Johnny Harris

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Harris harbored aspirations of producing and performing original material yet earned recognition chiefly through his arranging skills. The 1970 release Movements showcased his approach to familiar material, blending smooth brass and woodwind textures with the emerging VCS3 synthesizer on reinterpretations of tracks including ‘Paint It, Black’ and ‘Light My Fire’. He launched his arranging career with two notable British soul recordings—Lorraine Silver’s ‘Lost Summer Love’ and A Band Of Angels’ ‘Invitation’—both of which became fixtures at the Wigan Casino’s all-night events. During the late 1960s he joined Deram Records, where he crafted arrangements for Tom Jones and Clyde McPhatter, and later supplied the theme music for Lulu’s television program, enlisting John Paul Jones as co-arranger for the accompanying album. Additional collaborations followed with Tony Hatch and Shirley Bassey, although his contribution to a collection of Motown Records covers by Radio 1 presenter Tony Blackburn drew widespread criticism. Relocated to Los Angeles and focused on film scores, Harris later attracted fresh attention for his formative role in the mid-1990s easy listening resurgence. Movements received a remastered reissue in 2002.