Harry Nilsson
July 26, 2026
About
Harry Nilsson might be my favorite vocalist. Nilsson could certainly have been more famous than he was but didn't care about fame. He was a close personal friend to John Lennon and Ringo Starr. He even made a movie with Ringo called Son of Dracula (it's awful)
What they mean to me
I learned about Harry when a youtube video on him caught my eye. The melodies he sings go in unexpected directions. He had a gift for making interesting melodies. His voice was also incredible, and he could sing in many different styles.
Examples
This song is based on Harry's own life and how his father left when he was a child. Harry also hated performing live.
A good example of Harry's gift for melody. It's off his most famous album Nilsson Schmilsson, which was followed by the albums Son of Schmilsson and A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night.
A lot of Harry's most famous work was covers. This song was used in the film Midnight Cowboy and became a hit for Harry. I love his vocal performance on this track and how different his voice sounds to the other two tracks I've listed.
