Oscar Harris (born 30 November 1943) is a
Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
se singer. He was among the best known Surinamese musicians in the
Netherlands
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, established_title = Before independence
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during the 1970s and 1980s.
Harris moved to
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
to study architecture in 1963, and founded Oscar Harris and The Twinkle Stars, a ten-man vocal and instrumental group in 1965, which became known by playing at student gatherings in Amsterdam. In 1968 the group was signed to the artist roster of
Omega Records and Blue Elephant, with a tour of South America in 1971.
[Billboard – Volume 84 1972 p37 "Oscar Harris and the Twinkle Stars are a ten-strong vocal and instrumental group from Surinam in the West Indies. They settled in Amsterdam several years ago and in 1968 they joined the ..."]
In 1974, Harris went solo with the single "
Alta Gracia
Alta Gracia is a city located in the north-centre of the province of Córdoba, Argentina. Its name means "High Grace". It is built upon the ''Sierras Chicas'', in a region that the Comechingón Indians used to call ''Paravachasca''. It has abou ...
", commencing a series of hit-singles up to 1988. He had also recorded some hits in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, including "Sandy" and "Oh Tuhan".
In 2015
TopNotch
TopNotch is a Dutch record label specializing in hip-hop. The label was founded in 1995, and is run by Vincent Patty. After some commercial success (with rap acts such as De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig, The Opposites, Def Rhymz, Postmen, and Extince) ...
released a compilation CD in the ''Sranan Gowtu''-series (''Surinamese Gold'') devoted to Surinamese artists, mainly from the 1970s.
Discography
*1969 ''Try a little love''
*1969 ''Soldiers prayer''
*1974 ''2''
*1974 ''A day will come''
*1974 ''Alta Gracia''
*1975 ''Sing your freedom song''
*1977 ''De beste''
*1978 ''One of a kind''
*1980 ''Song for the children''
*1981 ''Best''
*1982 ''It takes two''
*1983 ''Everybody loves somebody''
*1984 ''Take good care of her''
*1987 ''With lots of love''
*1988 ''Love for the world''
*2004 ''Salsa romantica''
*2005 ''Dutch rare groove''
*2009 ''Shalom Salam (i.s.m. Flower to the People)''
*2010 ''Song for Pakistan Faith Hope and Love (i.s.m. Flower to the People)''
References
1943 births
Living people
People from Marowijne District
20th-century Surinamese male singers
Nationaal Songfestival contestants
{{Netherlands-musician-stub