Harry Vanda

Harry Vanda
Vanda performing in 1968
Background information
Birth name	Johannes Hendrikus Jacob van den Berg
Born	(1946-03-22) 22 March 1946 Voorburg, Netherlands
Origin	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genres	Rock
Occupations	Musician songwriter record producer
Instruments	Guitar vocals
Years active	1964–present
Labels	Albert Productions

Johannes Hendrikus Jacob van den Berg (born 22 March 1946), better known as his stage name Harry Vanda, is an Australian musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as lead guitarist of the 1960s Australian rock band the Easybeats who with fellow member George Young formed the 1970s and 1980s songwriting and record production duo Vanda & Young.

Early life

Johannes Hendrikus Jacob van den Berg was born in Voorburg, a town in the Province of South Holland in the Netherlands in 1946. His parents were Henricus Cornelius van den Berg (born 14 September 1923), a mechanic from the Netherlands and Lisa Berg-Warsozk (born 19 September 1924), who was Polish. Harry's parents got married on 9 June 1945. From 1942–1945, Henricus was under Forced labour under German rule during World War II.

Vanda's family migrated to Australia from the Netherlands in 1963, and settled in Sydney. In the same year he met rhythm guitarist George Young at the Villawood migrant hostel. In 2007, Australian Musician magazine selected this meeting as the most significant event in Australian pop and rock music history.

Career

The Easybeats

Vanda, who had been a guitarist with the Hague-based band the Starfighters, came to fame in 1964–65 as the lead guitarist of the Easybeats.

Vanda's ability to speak the English language was still very limited when the band were at their peak. Easybeats bassist Dick Diamonde, who was also a Dutch Australian, would help him learn English. By 1966, Vanda was nearly fluent in English and he and George Young penned many of the Easybeats' later recordings, including their major international hit, "Friday On My Mind".

When I met Harry Vanda he could hardly speak a line of English and now he can speak it better than me - he teaches me words.

— Stevie Wright

After the Easybeats disbanded in 1970, Vanda & Young remained in the UK and continued their writing and performing partnership.

Vanda and Young

In 1973, Vanda and Young returned to Australia and took over as the house producers for leading independent record production company, Albert Productions, and publisher J. Albert & Son. From 1974 onwards they enjoyed huge success in Australia and internationally, writing and producing hits for a number of popular Australian groups and solo singers, including John Paul Young, Cheetah, Stevie Wright, Ted Mulry, Rose Tattoo, the Angels, William Shakespeare, Mark Williams and, most notably, AC/DC. AC/DC included George Young's brothers, guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young. Vanda & Young produced landmark albums such as Let There Be Rock, Powerage, If You Want Blood You've Got It, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, High Voltage/TNT, amongst others.

Vanda and Young also had major international success with their own studio-only project Flash and the Pan, achieving many hits round the world over a 15-year period, particularly in Europe where they had many chart topping records. Grace Jones had a hit with a cover of the Flash and the Pan song "Walking in the Rain".

Later work

By the late 1990s, Vanda and Young had left their longtime partnership with Albert Productions, and retired from the music industry. However, in 2005, Harry Vanda started Flashpoint Music in Surry Hills with his producer/engineer son, Daniel Vandenberg, setting up one of Australia's premier private studios. The studio has produced bands such as the Wrights and British India.

Instruments

Vanda used a 1964 Höfner Verithin 1574 with Bigsby tremolo and 511 pickups, before switching in 1965 to a Gibson 345. In the Easybeats, Vanda also often played a cherry-red Maton 12-string electric guitar, which he donated to the collection of Powerhouse Museum in Sydney in 1999. In addition, Vanda owned the red Gretsch Jet Firebird double cutaway guitar that was given to George Young's younger brother Malcolm. This guitar, nicknamed "The Beast", saw numerous modifications and was Malcolm Young's primary guitar throughout his career with AC/DC.

Personal life

Vanda's married his first wife, Pamela Joyce Higgins, in New South Wales on 11 December 1964. They had one child together, Johan, who was born in January 1966. On 4 July 1966, Harry found Pamela dead in their flat in Sydney. She had committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills aged 21. She took her own life after being informed she was unable to move to England with Vanda and the rest of the band.

Honours

In 1988 he was inducted, along with George Young, into the inaugural class of the ARIA Hall of Fame.

Since 2009, Albert Music and APRA AMCOS have held the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition, named after the musicians.

Further reading

• John Tait. Vanda & Young. Inside Australia's Hit Factory.Published by University NSW Press Ltd. Australia, 2010. (ISBN 978 1 74223 217 1).

External links

• Albert Music: Easybeats Facts