Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.arts.movies.production.sound,alt.music.home-studio (
More info?)
"G. John Garrett, C.A.S" <jg@soundcartREMOVE.com> wrote in message
news:T62dneCAx5VDOaXfRVn-2g@comcast.com...
> Steve King wrote:
>
>> "Ty Ford" <tyreeford@comcast.net> wrote in message
>> news:68CdndjaEZl2_aXfRVn-rw@comcast.com...
>>
>>>On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 18:28:54 -0500, John wrote
>>>(in article <BE5CD9E4.3250%ssconmag1@verizon.net>):
>>>
>>>
>>>>You worked with Nordine...??????
>>>>
>>>>Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
>>>
>>>Ken Nordine? But we have spoken by phone on several occasions.
>>>
>>>Regards,
>>>
>>>Ty Ford
>>>
>>
>> It would have been hard not to encounter Ken during the 50s through the
>> 70s if you were a Chicago VO person. When I was a new engineer at, now
>> defunct, Sound Studios, Ken was a day-in day-out regular. The first few
>> sessions were a little heady, because I was such a fan of his Word Jazz
>> records before moving to Chicago. Ken had his own studio in an old
>> brownstone that was also his home on the north side. When I embarked on
>> a VO career, I did a counter-point announcer to his signature tags for
>> Chrysler, spots that Ken also produced including doing the music. He was
>> among the first with a large synthesizer set-up. He also recorded later
>> Word Jazz records in that studio, working live with the background jazz
>> musicians. A very cool guy. Very kind. Liked the idea that many of his
>> younger friends and fellow performers thought of him as the last of the
>> hippies. His son, Ken Jr., was the engineer on many of the Chrysler
>> sessions and also the electronic music tech guy.
>>
>> Steve King
>
>
> Since we're talking about VO talent, has anybody here worked with Harry
> Elders? I did a few projects with him in the 80s, and he was the nicest
> guy....
>
> John
Your assessment is bang on. Harry was one of my idols. I met him, when I
first started VO freelancing. He did his share of commercials for both
national and local advertisers, but the foundation of his career was in
corporate and educational film and video both on camera and as a narrator.
He was a wonderful performer, who began his career in radio drama, when
Chicago was still important as a production center for network radio. I
once had a client tell me that Harry was his favorite performer. He said
that Harry telephoned him every couple of months. He inquired about the
client's family and his general well being. He offered some little story
about his own personal life--- a trip or a show he'd seen and then said
goodbye, rarely discussing business. This client said that Harry always
came to mind first, when he was casting anything even remotely Harry's type.
Harry retired to Colorado Springs, when he was 70 or so. In the 80s, when
AFTRA held their convention in Chicago, Harry attended. I asked him how he
was enjoying retirement. He said that it hadn't worked out quite like he
thought. As he took little driving trips around the Rockies with his wife,
he couldn't help but stop in to see some of the folks doing video work in
Salt Lake City, Santa Fe, Phoenix, Denver, and Cheyenne. In fact, he said,
he had had the best financial year of his life the year before. So, yes, he
was enjoying retirement just fine.
His son, Harry Jr. was a fine film and video camera operator who, I seem to
recall, died a few years ago.
Steve King