Harry and his tunes
Harry Gardner (1927-2018) loved Australian folk music. He played violin, wrote folk tunes, was a member of folk bands and transcribed and collected many authentic Australian folk tunes. This site offers you over 300 of Harry’s favourite tunes.
HARRY PLAYED TUNES
Harry was well known in the Victorian folk music scene. He was a life member and president of the Victorian Folk Music Club. He regularly busked (in East Ringwood and Heathmont) raising money for the club. He played in folk bands, organised music events, participated in the annual ‘Woolshed Ball’ and regularly attended folk festivals (often with his puppeteer wife Lorrie - founder of the Gardner Puppet Theatre).
HARRY COLLECTED TUNES
Harry travelled Australia playing and collecting tunes. Together with Peter Ellis, Harry compiled the book ‘Music Makes Me Smile’, an anthology of tunes from the Upper Murray including Nariel Creek.
Harry also wrote tunes such as ‘For the Love of Lorrie’ that won the Tim Whelan Memorial Tune Writing Competition at the Port Fairy Folk Festival in 1996.
HARRY’S FIDDLER MATES
Harry founded the group ‘Fireside Fiddlers’. He encouraged participants to play by ear and they met every week at Harry’s place, sharing food, music and a camaraderie that Harry felt was truly what folk music should be about.
LINKS TO THE FOLK SCENE
If you wish to know more about Australian folk music or the folk music scene, please begin your search here.