Harry Barris
Songwriter, Composer
1905 – 1962
Who was Harry Barris?
Harry Barris was an American popular singer and songwriter.
Born in New York City, he was a member of the Rhythm Boys, a late 1920s singing trio that included Al Rinker and Bing Crosby, and was Crosby's entry into show business. The group sang several songs in the Paul Whiteman Orchestra film King of Jazz and recorded both with Whiteman and on their own with Barris on piano.
Barris appeared in 57 films between 1931 and 1950, usually as a band member, pianist and/or singer. In The Lost Weekend, he is the nightclub pianist who humiliates Ray Milland by singing "Somebody Stole My Purse". An unusual change of pace for Barris was his comedy role in The Fleet's In, as a runty sailor named Pee Wee who perpetrates malapropisms in a surprisingly deep voice.
Offscreen, Barris successfully composed songs including "Mississippi Mud", "I Surrender, Dear", "It Must Be True" and "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams". Rinker and Crosby also carved out careers on their own as well.
Barris was the uncle of game show host and producer Chuck Barris. Chuck Barris was a co-creator and host of the The Gong Show.
Due to a lifelong drinking problem, he died in Burbank, California, aged 57.
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- Born
- Nov 24, 1905
New York City - Also known as
- The Rhythm Boys
- Spouses
- Esther Margie Barris
- Hazelle Thompson
(1925 - 1930) - Loyce Whiteman
(1931 - 1946)
- Children
- Nationality
- United States of America
- Profession
- Lived in
- New York City
- Died
- Dec 13, 1962
Burbank
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
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"Harry Barris." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 May 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/harry_barris>.
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