Anita Harris
Anita Madeleine Harris (born June 3, 1942 in Midsomer Norton ) is a British actress, musician and dancer.
Life
Anita Harris started her ice skating career at the age of 16 as a figure skater in London , Naples and Las Vegas . From 1961 she worked as a soloist on radio, television and on cabaret stages. She sang with various groups, such as the Grenadiers and three years with the Cliff Adams Singers. Also in 1961, Parlophone released their first single, I Haven't Got You , written by Lionel Bart . There followed a few singles with Vocalion and Decca , all of which were commercially unsuccessful.
From 1964 Harris worked closely with the composer and producer Mike Margolis , who from then on produced her records and who became her husband in 1973. In 1965 Harris moved to Pye Records , where she released a version of Trains and Boats and Planes by Burt Bacharach and Hal David as a single. Her recording of London Life (1965), also by Bacharach and David, is the only known version of this song. In January 1965 she took part in the 15th edition of the Sanremo Festival in Italy, along with other British singers such as Kiki Dee , Petula Clark and Dusty Springfield , with her contribution L'amore è partito not making it into the final. The single Something Must Be Done (1966) was not a huge hit in the charts, but became a favorite among fans of the Northern soul scene.
In 1966 Harris moved from Pye to CBS , where her debut album Somebody's appeared on My Orchard that same year . The album, arranged by David Whitaker , was named Music Critics' Album of the Year 1966. Anita Harris celebrated her greatest commercial success in 1967 with the single Just Loving You , which brought her a million-seller and was her only UK Top 10. Harris appeared with Trains and Boats and Planes in the same episode of Top of the Pops in 1966 that saw Dusty Springfield sing her # 1 hit You Don't Have to Say You Love Me . Springfield suggested to Harris that they record a track from her brother, songwriter and producer Tom Springfield . Harris then gave Just Loving You . The single was released in June 1967 and made it to number 6 on the British Singles Chart. Harris also recorded the piece in Italian with the title Ormai non t'aspettavo piú and released it as a single in Italy. The second studio album, also titled Just Loving You , was released that same year (1967). In the same year she starred in two episodes of the British carry-on film series .
In 1968 she released a version of Dream a Little Dream of Me , a piece from the 1930s, as a single, reaching number 33 in the British charts, while the version by American singer Cass Elliot rose to number 11 at the same time. In 1969, the third studio album Cuddly Toy was released , followed in 1970 by Anita Harris Sings Songs From the Thames Television Series Anita in Jumbleland , an album accompanying the short-lived children's series Jumbleland (1970-1971), in which Harris played the lead role, wrote the script and which she co-produced.
In the early 1970s, Harris was a permanent studio singer on David Nixon's variety television show David Nixon's Magic Box , as well as being a guest on several shows such as The Morecambe & Wise Show and Bruce Forsyth . There were also several appearances at the Royal Variety Performance and in the renowned London nightclub The Talk of the Town. In the 1980s she appeared in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Musical Cats for two years and released Fizzical! , a mix of fitness video and cookbook.
In a 2009 interview with the Daily Telegraph , Harris reported that she and her husband, television director Mike Margolis, lost nearly all of their fortunes to the collapse of a Swiss bank in 1985. Now they also had to sell their London house and were in debt of around £ 15,000.
After a lengthy hiatus, Harris recorded the album Everyday Valentine in 1996 .
Discography
Albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
 UK
|
|||
| 1967 | Just loving you |
UK29 (5 weeks) UK |
More albums
- 1966: Somebody's in My Orchard
- 1969: Cuddly Toy
- 1970: Anita in Jumbleland
- 1974: Anita is Peter
- 1976: Love To Sing
- 2003: The Essential (compilations)
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
UK
|
|||
| 1967 | Just Loving You Just Loving You |
UK6 (30 weeks) UK |
|
| The Playground Just Loving You |
UK46 (3 weeks) UK |
||
| 1968 | The Anniversary Waltz Just Loving You |
UK21 (9 weeks) UK |
|
| Dream a Little Dream of Me |
UK33 (8 weeks) UK |
More singles
- 1965: I Don't Know Anymore
- 1965: Trains and Boats and Planes
- 1968: We're All Going On A Tuppeny Bus Ride
Filmography (selection)
Web links
- Anita Harris in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- dailymail.co.uk: Interview with Anita Harris from July 6, 2009 , accessed October 16, 2012
Individual evidence
- ^ Julia Edenhofer : The Great Oldie Lexicon . Bastei-Lübbe 1991, pp. 274-275, ISBN 3-404-60288-9 .
- ↑ telegraph.co.uk: Singer and actress Anita Harris 'penniless and homeless' with £ 15,000 debts , accessed October 16, 2012
- ↑ a b Chart sources: UK
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Harris, Anita |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Harris, Anita Madeleine (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British actress, musician and dancer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 3, 1942 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Midsomer Norton |