Harry McQueen

Harry McQueen (1910-1994), Castlemaine, Vic provided details of some of the Australian tunes in this archive.

Portrait [1]. Harry McQueen was an accordion player with a broad dance music repertoire.

The National Library of Australia holds the "Harry McQueen folklore collection", [2]. The collection comprises ten performances and interviews recorded from 1970 to 1992 at various locations.

• Harry McQueen and others perform dance music in the Harry McQueen folklore collection, recorded 1970. [3]

• Harry McQueen and others perform dance music at Redesdale in the Harry McQueen folklore collection, recorded 1980, [4],

• Harry McQueen performs dance tunes on the accordion at Redesdale, Victoria in the Harry McQueen folklore collection, 1980. PART 1 [5], PART 2 [6].

• Harry McQueen's band performs traditional dance music and Break O'Day plays extras in the Peter Ellis folklore collection, April 1983, [7], Harry McQueen (button accordion) ; Jack Heagney (violin) ; Mrs Ayers or Marie Allman (piano) ; Charlie Cue (drums) ; John McQueen (tambourine and clackers). Break o' Day: Barbara Price-Rees (piano) ; Peter Ellis (accordion and concertina) ; John Ottery (accordion) ; David Ottery (concertina) ; Marie Murrell (tin whistle) ; Peter Harris (banjo) ; Simon Barton (violin) ; Adrian Murrell (lagerphone).

• Harry McQueen performs dance music at Faulder Watson and Dimboola, Victoria in the Harry McQueen folklore collection, recorded June 1983, [8]

• Harry McQueen performs dance music in the Harry McQueen folklore collection, recorded August 1986. [9], "Harry McQueen talks about his grandfather Jim McQueen ; he talks how he learnt his material from Bill McGlashan ; technique used for playing the button accordion ; mentions other bush bands of the time. He speaks of one special annual event when the Guildford Orchestra would play for the annual Hospital Ball in Guilford ; comments about modern dance vs old barn dance."

• Harry McQueen performs folk songs at the National Folk Festival in the Harry McQueen folklore collection, 1989, [10]

• Harry McQueen narrates stories from dances in the Harry McQueen folklore collection, recorded 1992. [11]

• Harry McQueen 60 years of music, recorded 1992, [12]. This is a recording of the following people playing for a dance 'Harry McQueen, accordion and raconteur ; Jack Heagney, violin ; Ian Tonkin, drums ; John McQueen (Harry's son), tambourine ; Agnes Cary, violin ; Dave Barkla, Hawaiian guitar ; Merv Lorraine, Hawaiian guitar ; Joan Carthew, piano ; Marie Allman, piano'.

The National Library of Australia holds some 40 or so other recordings and interviews conducted with Harry McQueen, too numerous to list here. [13]

Harry McQueen was a primary source for and mentor of Peter Ellis and quite a number of recordings can be found in the Peter Ellis Folklore collection.

There are a few photos of Harry in Peter Ellis, "The Waltz, The Polka and All Kinds of Dance Music", 2007. p64, p88,

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