Remembering leading saxophonist and celebrated conductor John Harris who entertained Prince Charles, military top brass and World War II veterans
A successful musician who played for royalty and led a popular orchestra has been remembered ahead of the anniversary of his death.
John Edward Harris, a conductor and one of the country's leading saxophonists, died on November 27, 2017, aged 85.
Yet such was the popularity of Johnny Harris and His Swing Orchestra that his wife Pamela still receives requests for bookings from those who had not heard the sad news.
By the age of 14 John had become a professional musician, playing the saxophone his grandfather had bought for him in Paris.
He served in the military for nine years in three spells after spending his National Service with the medical corps, and links to the forces continued into his musical career.
Having graduated from band leader to fulfil a dream of conducting his own orchestra, he and Pamela were invited by the Duke of Buccleuch to play commemorative concerts for American veterans of the Second World War.
Here he had the honour of conducting in the cap previously worn by legendary band leader Glenn Miller.
John, who lived in Deeping Gate, featured in many fundraisers for the British Legion, earning a gold disc from the women’s branch of the RBL, and performed to an audience of 2,700 over two concerts for the Legion’s anniversary celebrations.
The heads of all three armed services were among the audience for his final performance, at Stamford Corn Exchange in 2012 - a fundraising concert for troops returning from Afghanistan.
The Prince’s Trust were another to benefit from John’s generosity and he played for Prince Charles, as well as the European Commission.
“He mixed with so many people from all walks of life and was the same with all of them, cracking a joke with whoever he was with," said Pamela.
"Everyone was the same to John."