DON HARPER

Don Harper was an Australian composer born in Melbourne in 1921, Don Harper showed an interest in music from an early age, learning to play the violin as a child. His formal study began at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music. In later years he would become the successful conductor of one of Australia's most popular big bands as well as being a prolific film and television composer. In the mid 1950s he was persuaded by comedian Tommy Trinder to try his luck in the UK when he was touring Australia. Harper took the chance and left for Britain even though he had secure work in Australia.

During his seven-year stay in the country he provided music for World of Sport and Sexton Blake amongst other popular series. The Don Harper Sextet also broadcast regularly on the BBC's Music While You Work. Over his career he released a few singles on the Pye and Columbia labels and many albums on a variety of labels. None of those recordings were released in Australia.

Returning to Australia in 1962, Don Harper would regularly be seen performing on Australian television and on radio as well as in many jazz clubs across the country. He also toured with the Dave Brubeck Quartet. In the late 70s, Harper formed the Harper-Wright quartet with British jazz guitarist Denny Wright; the quartet was completed by Len Skeat on bass and Martin Drew on drums. In 1983 Harper took up the position of Head of Jazz Studies at Wollongong University's School of Creative Arts, a position he held until 1990. 

His most popular recording was "The Hot Canary". He provided incidental music for the 1968 Doctor Who serial The Invasion; one of the cues from this score was later reused, in reorchestrated form, as part of the De Wolfe stock score of Mary Millington's True Blue Confessions (1980). In 2005, MF Doom and Danger Mouse, in their collaborative project Danger Doom, sampled Don Harper's "Chamber Pop" and "Thoughtful Popper". Elements of "Dank Earth" from the Dawn of the Dead soundtrack were sampled on "Intro" by Gorillaz from 'Demon Days', which was also produced by Danger Mouse. Don Harper died on 30 May 1999 aged 78.

ALBUMS 
'On The Fiddle' 1975 Bunyip

'Songs From Alice' [with Joanne Brown, Leslie Fyson] 1985 Avan-Guard
'Combo: Duo, Trio, Quartet, Sextet' [with Denny Wright] 1978 EMI

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Harper