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He was famous in North America for a 1963 novelty hit "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport," a song that would later be criticized as potentially racist and is no longer played on many oldies stations.
But Rolf Harris was a huge star in both Britain and his native Australia, where he was a big TV comedian and entertainer. But that fame was soon to be tarnished when he was convicted of child sex abuses against four underage girls and spent six years in jail.
The disgraced entertainer has now passed away, leaving a tarnished legacy behind. He was 93.
Rolf Harris Dies: Disgraced TV Star Was 93
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By the way, I never heard this before, but he apparently was on a Beatles TV special in their very early days in Britain and altered the words to his hit to include members of the Fab Four.
According to a Wikipedia entry, the lyrics were:
"Don't ill-treat me pet dingo, Ringo"; "George's guitar's on the blink, I think"; "Prop me up by the wall Paul"; "Keep the hits coming on, John". In the final verse, the stockman's tanned hide is used to replace Ringo's drumheads."
As odious as he turned out to be, that's a great bit of obscure Beatles trivia.
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Here's the Beatles-abridged cover of Rolf Harris and The Beatles together:
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Despite Harris' sordid past, that was great. Never heard it before. Thanks for posting!