Harry Robertson (composer)

Henry Macleod Robertson (sometimes credited as Harry Robinson) (19 November, 1932 — 17 January, 1996), was a composer. He was son of Henry Robertson of Elgin, Morayshire, Scotland. He married Ziki Arbuthnot who inherited the Wharton Barony in 1990. They had four children, the eldest of whom Myles is now the 12th Baron.

He wrote the music for a number of film and television productions some which are listed below.

He was responsible for writing and producing the pop song "Hoots mon" (not so much a song, more an instrumental take on "Coming through the Rye" with spoken interjections in a mock-Jock accent by Lord Rockingham's XI - undoubtedly a response to the recent Bill Haley hit "Rockin' Through the Rye", based on the same traditional Scottish ditty originally written by Robert Burns), which stayed at Number 1 on the Hit Parade for three weeks in 1958.

He produced and composed the music of "Hawk the Slayer" (1980), "Prisoners of the Lost Universe" (1982) and "Jane and the Lost City" (1988) [Cameo appearance: On the dance-floor] , co-writing the script of the first two.

He wrote a number of film scripts, television series and books, including "The Electric Eskimo", "The Boy Who Never Was", "Sammy's Super T-Shirt" and was a regular composer for Hammer Film Productions.

He was composer and editor of these films and others:
*"The House in Nightmare Park" (1973)
*"Countess Dracula" (1971)
*"There Goes the Bride" (1980)
*"Demons of the Mind" (1972)
*"Twins of Evil"
*"The Sky Bike"
*"Fright"
*"The Ghoul"
*"The Battle of Billy's Pond"
*"The Vampire Lovers"
*"File of the Golden Goose"
*"Terry on the Fence"
*"Operation Third Form"
*"Why Not Stay for Breakfast?"
*"The Oblong Box"
*"Lust for Vampire"

He was musical director of the respected British television pop music programmes "Six-Five Special" (1957 BBC) and "Oh Boy!" (1959 ITV).

He arranged and conducted the stage shows "Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be" (1960) and "Maggie May" (1964) and also co-wrote the West End hit musical "Elvis".

He also wrote highly acclaimed string arrangements for English folk singers such as Nick Drake, notably 'River Man' from Drake's Five Leaves Left.

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