IT is difficult to believe that former Midday maestro Geoff Harvey would fail to impress musically, but apparently he did.
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Mr Harvey was just 15 when he took on his first job as a saxophonist in a band at the Round Towers Irish Club in Holloway Road, North London.
“That was in the 1950s and I failed to impress,” he said. “I heard myself playing and thought this is definitely not for me.
“The highlights of the evening were fights among the Irish people in the pub and the MELODY of dancers, as the compere referred to them - he meant medley.”
Mr Harvey said he packed his saxaphone away soon after and never played it again.
“I love the sound of the saxophone, but it is definitely not for me,” he said.
However, Mr Harvey’s early negative musical experience was not enough to deter him from a headlining career in the industry composing, conducting and tickling the ivories.
His career forged ahead when he moved to Australia in 1960 and was snapped up by Channel 9 in 1961 to work on the Bob Rogers Show.
He went on to work on the Dave Allen and Don Lane shows as well as Bandstand and Sound of Music with Bobby Limb and Barry Crocker.
But he is best remembered for his integral role as the musical director on the Midday Show working alongside several high profile hosts – from Mike Walsh to Ray Martin and others.
