Keyboard player, producer and arranger Mike Harvey has made a significant contribution to the great New Zealand soundtrack.
Harvey is on of the few New Zealanders who have won two APRA Silver Scroll Awards, and between 1973 and 1977 he produced all the Silver Scroll winners. His double awards were for 'Jangles, Spangles & Banners' which he wrote for Ray Columbus in 1973 and 'All Gone Away' in 1977 which he wrote for his own group Salty Dogg, which featured wine connoisseur Vic Williams on drums and top Kiwi guitarist Martin Winch.
Salty Dog (L to R) Graham Chapman (Lead Vocals), Vic Williams (Drums), Phil Yule (Recording Engineer), Martin Winch (Guitars), Mike Harvey (Piano/Keyboards), Chris Gunn (Bass) Photo: Mike Harvey collection
Mike Harvey Photo: Mike Harvey
Harvey left to work in Australia in 1978 and continued his winning way writing an endless string of TV and radio commercials and soundtracks.
'Crusher', the instrumental track from his solo Great Expectations album, was used for a Lemon & Paeroa advertisement and won Best Musical Score for TV Soundtrack at the CLIO International Awards in New York awards in New York in 1978.
Mike Harvey, now forced into semi-retirement due to exhaustion and a heart attack, is once again playing music and writing for his own enjoyment. He speaks to reporter Keith Newman about his musical heritage on both side of the Tasman.
Music details for the audio version of this story:
Mike Harvey, Crusher (Harvey) Great Expectations, Mike Harvey, EMI HSD 1076
Salty Dogg, I Like It (Harvey), Love to Play & Sing, EMI EMC 2578
John Hanlon, Windsong (Hanlon). Higher Trails, FLY 226
Ray Columbus, Jangles, Spangles, & Banners (Harvey), Solo Years, Ray Columbus, EMI 5712812
Damn the Dam (Hanlon) John Hanlon, Garden Fresh, FLY 223,
John Hanlon, Higher Trails (Hanlon), Higher Trails, FLY 226
John Hanlon, Crazy Woman (Hanlon), Higher Trails, Family FLY 226
Salty Dogg, Love To Play & Sing (Harvey), Love To Play & Sing, EMI EMC 2578.
Salty Dogg, Face the Music, Love To Play & Sing, EMI EMC 2578
Salty Dogg, I Like It (Harvey), Love To Play & Sing, EMI EMC 2578
Salty Dogg, Love to Play & Sing (*Harvey), Love To Play & Sing, EMI EMC 2578
Salty Dogg, Genesis (Winch), Salty Dogg, Love to Play and Sing, EMI EMC 2578
Salty Dogg, All Gone Away (Mike Harvey), Love to Play & Sing, EMI EMC 2578
Lea Maalfred (Maalfred), Lavender Mountain
Mike Harvey, Couldron (Harvey), Great Expectations, Mike Harvey EMI HSD 1076
Mike Harvey, We’d Like To Know, (Harvey), Mike Harvey, Great Expectations, EMI HSD 1076 Mike Harvey, Crusher, (Harvey) Great Expectations, Mike Harvey, EMI HSD 1076
Mike Harvey, Great Expectations Part One & Two (Harvey), Great Expectations, EMI HSD 1076
Mike Harvey,The Awakening (Harvey), Mike Harvey, Great Expectations, EMI HSD
Rob Guest, Hanging On, (unsure of details)
Mike Harvey, Pirates Island Theme (Mike Harvey), Grundy TV – Universal Music
Mike Harvey, Akash’s Theme (Michael Maurice Harvey), Akash’s Love Theme from Dil Chahta Hai, Origin Network/Albert Music
Mike Harvey, Overture To Peter Pan (Michael Harvey), Harvey/Polygram MMH001.
Mike Harvey, Beneath The Southern Cross, (Michael Maurice Harvey/Maggie May Gordon) Origin Network, Albert Music
Australian National Anthem, Advance Australia Fair (public domain)
Mike Harvey, Crusher (Mike Harvey), Great Expectations, Mike Harvey EMI HSD 1076
