Blair, Harold

Also known as
Blair, Harold (1924-1976)
Field of activity
Tenor; Aboriginal rights activist; Music teacher; Member of the Order of Australia (AM); Indigenous rights activist/supporter; music conservatorium teacher; singing teacher; tenor
NLA Persistent Identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-385071

Biographies

BLAIR, HAROLD (1924-1976), singer and Aboriginal activist, was born probably on 13 September 1924 at Cherbourg Aboriginal Reserve, near Murgon, Queensland, son of Esther Quinn. She gave him the surname Blair in gratitude to the family who had 'adopted' her. Six months after his birth, he and his teenage mother were transferred to the Purga Mission near Ipswich; when Harold was aged 2, Esther was sent away to take a post as a domestic servant. Harold remained at Purga under the care of the Salvation Army mission staff until he was almost 16: he worked on the dairy farm and received a limited education, designed to enable him to gain employment as a farm labourer. He entertained visitors by mimicking Richard Crooks and John McCormack whose records he frequently played on an old, wind-up gramophone.

View the full record at Australian Dictionary of Biography

Harold Blair, Aboriginal tenor and activist, was born at the Cherbourg Aboriginal Mission near Murgon in Queensland. He began working among the cane fields in Childers but his vocal potential was noticed by local businessmen who gained him an audience with the famous soprano Marjorie Lawrence. She encouraged him to pursue singing and her public support brought him to the attention of the media. Blair went on to enter the national radio variety show Australia's Amateur Hour, where he became the first Aboriginal musician to sing on national radio and won with the highest number of audience votes in the show's history. Blair then commenced studies at the Melba Conservatorium of Music in Melbourne and overcame his inability to read or write music or where he graduated with first class honours in 1949. He travelled to the United States to continue his musical studies, first with Todd Duncan and later with Sara Lee. Upon his return, Blair joined the Australian Broadcasting Commission's 1951 Jubilee tour. The demanding recital tour placed a strain on his voice which eventually curtailed his career as a performer. He moved into the field of teaching, joining the staff at the Melbourne Conservatorium in 1956 and also began work as a small businessman, running a milk bar and service station. Blair's observations of the racial climate in the United States increased his awareness of issues facing Aboriginal people in Australia. In 1957 Blair represented Aboriginal Australians at a Moral Re-Armament conference in the United States and subsequently worked for the group at their headquarters in Switzerland, during which time he gave a number of recitals in Europe. He started the Aboriginal Children's Project in 1962, which provided home holidays in Melbourne for Mission children, and stood as the Labor candidate for the seat of Mentone in the 1964 Victorian State elections, losing on preferences to the sitting member. Blair began working as a music teacher in the Victorian Education Department in 1967 and was awarded the Order of Australia in 1976. He died in Melbourne at the age of 51. The Queensland constituency of Blair is named for him.

Related people and organisations

Australian Dictionary of Biography

Resources for Harold Blair

Selected resources (1)

Resources by Harold Blair (2)

  1. The Australian Aboriginal League presents its contribution to the Centenary of Victoria and Jubilee of the Commonwealth celebrations : an Aboriginal Moomba "Out of the dark"
    Blair, Harold
    [ Book : 1951 ]
    At 2 libraries
    This resource is likely to be relevant to your query (score: 0.812)

    This resource is likely to be relevant to your query (score: 0.812)

  2. Echoes of the waltz
    Orr, Geoffrey
    [ Sound : 2009 ]
    At State Library of VIC
    This resource may have relevance to your query (score: 0.774)

    This resource may have relevance to your query (score: 0.774)

Resources about Harold Blair (12)

  1. Remembering Aboriginal heroes : struggle, identity and the media / John Ramsland, Christopher Mooney
    Ramsland, John, 1942-
    [ Book : 2006-2012 ]
    At 125 libraries
    Remembering Aboriginal heroes : struggle, identity and the media / John Ramsland, Christopher Mooney
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 15.433)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 15.433)

  2. [Blair, Harold (singer) : programs and related material collected by the National Library of Australia]
    [ Published : 1900 ]
    At National Library
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.519)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.519)

  3. Opera singers Harold Blair and Marjorie Lawrence
    Unidentified
    [ Photograph ]
    View online
    At State Library of QLD
    Opera singers Harold Blair and Marjorie Lawrence
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 4.666)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 4.666)

  4. A day in the life [Making the documentary film Harold about Aboriginal tenor Harold Blair.]
    Thomas, Steve
    Metro (Melbourne, Vic: 1974)
    [ Article : 1997 ]
    View online (conditions apply)
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 4.358)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 4.358)

  5. Harold Blair: from cane-cutter to concert performer
    Hoban, Lance
    Annals Australasia
    [ Article : 2003 ]
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 4.32)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 4.32)

  6. What happened to the Harold Project. -Narrative stage show celebrating the life of Harold Blair-
    Van Ulzen, Karen
    Dance Australia
    [ Article : 1994 ]
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 3.775)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 3.775)

  7. Harold Blair, a father of modern Australia. -Harold, a new dance production based on the life of the famous Aboriginal opera singer Harold Blair-
    Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal
    [ Article : 1991 ]
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 3.301)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 3.301)

  8. Modernity denied: the case of Harold Blair's 1956 EP, Australian Aboriginal Songs [Paper presented at the conference 'Australian Vernacular Modernities' (2006: Brisbane)]
    Casey, Bill
    Impact of the Modern: Vernacular Modernities in Australia 1870s-1960s
    [ Article : 2008 ]
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 1.973)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 1.973)

  9. The dilemmas in song lines
    Williams, Sue
    Australian
    [ Article : 1995 ]
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 1.417)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 1.417)

  10. Growing up and breaking away from the mission: the formative years of Aboriginal celebrities of the 1950s
    Mooney, Christopher; Ramsland, John
    ISAA Review: journal of the Independent Scholars Association of Australia
    [ Article : 2007 ]
    View online (conditions apply)
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 1.373)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 1.373)

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  1. Blair, Harold Lynn
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    This resource is likely to be relevant to your query (score: 0.117)

  2. Blair, H. A., (Harold Arthur) (1902-1985)
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  3. Blair, Nerida (1957-)
    ... Nerida Blair, daughter of Harold Blair, was born in Victoria. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree ...
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  1. Bischoff, Harold Charlie
    Bischoff, Harold Charlie
    Created by rodneyvc, 8 items.

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    Brothers John (William) Sevior 1834 Launceston and Robert Sevior 1836 Launceston. Jockeys, Horse Breeders, Horse Trainers, Farmers; Ploughing Match Judge and Race Course Clerk - John Sevior,...

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    Created by nanderson, 7 items.

    Family History, my wife's ancestor killed in action 1918 World War I

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    This resource may only be vaguely related to your query: matching terms may only have been found in the full text contents of the resource (score: 0)

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  1. [Biographical cuttings on Harold Blair, opera singer, containing one or more cuttings from newspapers or journals]
    [ Published : 1900-1990 ]
    At National Library
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 9.455)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 9.455)

  2. Papers
    Blair, Harold, 1924-1976
    [ Unpublished : 1924-1976 ]
    At National Library
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.205)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.205)

  3. Papers of Angus Denton
    Denton, Angus
    [ Unpublished : 1991-1992 ]
    At National Library
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 2.67)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 2.67)

  1. Dark man, white world : a portrait of tenor Harold Blair / by Kenneth Harrison
    Harrison, Kenneth, 1918-1982
    [ Book : 1975 ]
    At 58 libraries
    Dark man, white world : a portrait of tenor Harold Blair / by Kenneth Harrison
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    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 18.334)

  2. Blair, Harold [Press Clippings]
    [ Book : 1900 ]
    At NFSA
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  3. The Purga music story & Harold Blair / Sandra Kirkwood
    Kirkwood, Sandra
    [ Book : 2005 ]
    At 3 libraries
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  4. Does the white man expect too much of the Australian aborigine? / a talk by Harold Blair, Australian aboriginal tenor
    Blair, Harold, 1924-
    [ Book : 1956 ]
    At State Library S Aust
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    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 2.59)

  1. Harold
    Australian Broadcasting Corporation
    [ Video : 1994-1995 ]
    At 28 libraries
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    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 13.444)

  2. Harold : a portrait of Harold Blair an unsung hero
    [ Video : 1994 ]
    At 7 libraries
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    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.02)

  3. Harold Blair
    Australian Broadcasting Commission
    [ Video : 2004 ]
    At 2 libraries
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 6.675)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 6.675)

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    [ Video : 2004 ]
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 6.271)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 6.271)

  1. Taking nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert. (includes related article on submarine-launched missiles and land-mobile missiles)
    Blair, Bruce G; Feiveson, Harold A; Hippel, Frank N. von
    Scientific American
    [ Map, Article : 1997 ]
    This resource may be of limited relevance to your query (score: 0.182)

    This resource may be of limited relevance to your query (score: 0.182)

  2. Thomas L. Kane and Elizabeth W. Kane Collection
    Kane, Thomas Leiper, 1822-1883; Kane, Elizabeth Wood, 1836-1909
    [ Map, Unpublished : 1762 ]
    View online
    Thomas L. Kane and Elizabeth W. Kane Collection
    This resource may only be vaguely related to your query: matching terms may only have been found in the full text contents of the resource (score: 0.003)

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  3. US-Australia joint communique. (includes profile of Australia) (transcript)
    US Department of State Dispatch
    [ Map, Photograph, Article : 1990 ]
    View online (conditions apply)
    This resource may only be vaguely related to your query: matching terms may only have been found in the full text contents of the resource (score: 0.002)

    This resource may only be vaguely related to your query: matching terms may only have been found in the full text contents of the resource (score: 0.002)

  1. Website: Centenary of Federation play kit
    www.historysmiths.com.au
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    • BLAIR, Harold - 24/1/2001 and on 24/1/2001
    • ... BLAIR, Harold BLAIR, Harold 1924 -1976 singer and Aboriginal activist born c. 13 September 1924...
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    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 1.032)

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  2. Website: Tim Blair
    timblair.net
    Matching pages:
    • Tim Blair | Harold - 3/10/2007 and on 4/3/2008
    • ... Tim Blair | Harold Harold Tim Blair  >  Member List  >  Harold Harold Member Group:  Members View...
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  3. Website: National Library of Australia staff papers
    www.nla.gov.au
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    View 24 matching archived pages
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 0.653)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 0.653)

  1. HAROLD BLAIR
    Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 - 1954) Monday 9 July 1951 p 12 Article Illustrated
    ... HAROLD BLAIR TO SING AT TOWN HALL A near-record audience is expected to hear aboriginal tenor Harold Blair at his concert in the Town Hall tonight. The concert is part of the tour Mr. Blair is ... successful that his contract has been extended for a further 12 concerts. Harold Blair, who is 26 years of ... 339 words
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 9.257)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 9.257)

  2. Harold Blair Engaged
    Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 - 1954) Friday 4 March 1949 p 3 Article
    ... Harold Blair Engaged Melbourne.-Harold Blair (24), aboriginal singer, has announced his engagement to a white - Miss Dorothy Eden (20), of Cam- berwell. . ; Mr.. Blair met Miss Eden at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Mu- sic, where he recently graduated with a diploma. They do not in- tend to ... 76 words
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.438)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.438)

  3. Cheers Given Harold Blair
    Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 - 1954) Tuesday 19 April 1949 p 1 Article Illustrated
    ... Cheers Given Harold Blair HAROLD BLAIR, aboriginal tenor, was mobbed by children when he visited La Perouse (Sydney) Public School. Proudest girl was seven-year-old aboriginal Pat Cook, whom the singer placed on his shoulder. Blair will give his farewell concert in Melbourne on May 14 ... 49 words
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    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.438)

  1. Blair overtakes Harold Wilson; Politics.(Home news)
    The Times (London, England)
    [ Article : 2005 ]
    View online (conditions apply)
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 2.058)

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  2. Anyone but businessmen for tennis.(the courting of business leaders by British politicians such as Tony Blair and Harold Wilson)
    RICHARDS, STEVE
    New Statesman (1996)
    [ Article : 2000 ]
    View online (conditions apply)
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    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 1.987)

  3. Harold Blair.(FEATURES)
    The Australian (National, Australia)
    [ Article : 1998 ]
    View online (conditions apply)
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 1.597)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 1.597)

  4. Modernity denied: Harold Blairs 1956 EP Australian Aboriginal Songs and its critical reception
    Casey, William J; Robert Dixon; Veronica Kelly
    [ Article : 2008 ]
    View online
    At UQ Library
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 1.446)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 1.446)