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Crocodile Harris
Legend of South African Pop & Rock
20 January 1950 to 7 July 2015
Biography
Crocodile Harris was born Robin Graham in Johannesburg and learned to play guitar and piano as a youngster, also composing his own songs. After school, he formed a band and toured the country playing gigs.
His breakthrough came in 1974 when McCully Workshop played on his song “Miss Eva Goodnight”, which became his first chart hit. The song charted on 22 February 1974, spent 12 weeks on the charts, and peaked at number 5.
In 1974 McCully Workshop’s Mike McCullagh asked him to perform the vocals on a track he had written called ‘Miss Eva Goodnight’. The completed single was sent to David Gresham who loved it and wanted to know who the singer was. Thinking that the name Robin Graham was ‘too square’, his manager, Keith Madders, suggested the name Crocodile Harris. Robin was taken to the Tygerberg Zoo and posed with the crocodiles for the promotional shots to go with the single. The story that he was fond of crocodiles was apparently also part of the media hype.
John Samson, SA Charts
His biggest success came with the ballad “Give Me The Good News” (composed with Geoff Coxall), which became a Radio 5 #1 hit (#14 on Springbok Radio) in 1982. This song won the Midem Award at the 1984 Cannes Festival.
In 1984, the apartheid government banned his song “The World Is An Explosion”, reflecting the political tensions of the era.
Throughout his career, Harris appeared on television with notable artists including Rod Stewart, Al Jarreau, and Janet Jackson, and toured South Africa with Spike Milligan. His other hits included “Sixteen Tons”, and “Silver Bird”.
Crocodile Harris remained active in the South African music scene until his death, performing at various venues including restaurants, company functions, weddings, and private parties.
Discography
Singles
- Miss Eva Goodnight [1974] number 5 on SA radio charts in 1974
- Sixteen Tons [1976]
- Give Me Your Love [1977]
- Silverbird – Wright Brothers [1977] number 15 on SA radio charts in 1977
- Everytime I See You [1981]
- Give Me The Good News [1982] number 14 on SA radio charts in 1982. Sold 650 000 copies in France
- The Great Seducers [1983]
- The World Is An Explosion [1984] banned in South Africa
- Prisoner Of The Telephone [1986]
- Give Me The Good News 1994 remix [1994]
- Only You and I [2000]
- Just A Little [2015]
- My Girl [2015]
- Miss Eva Goodnight – 2021 [2021]
- 2021 Tribute Mixes – EP [2021]
Albums
- You’re A Woman, I’m A Man [1974]
- Crazy Lady – Wright Brothers [1979]
- Follow That Rainbow (Soundtrack) – Various Artists [1979] Gallo, ML 4331
- The Ancient Mariner – Various Artists [1980]
- Give Me The Good News [1983]
- Crocodile Harris [2012]
Videos
Musicians
- Crocodile Harris: Vocals, piano
- Richard Wilson: Vocals, keyboards on ‘Miss Eva Goodnight’ and as half of the Wright Brothers
- Tully McCully: Bass, drums, vocals
Press release
‘Crocodile’ is ready with more musical good news
District Mail (Somerset West), 14 September 2000
It was twenty years ago when former Somerset West resident, Rob Graham – better known to music lovers as Crocodile Harris – hit the local and international charts with his classical ballad, “Give Me The Good News”. Now, with South Africans in dire need of some “good news”, Rob is back with some more gentle sounds in the form of his latest single, “Only You and I”.
He is not only on the musical comeback trail, but after an incredible 36 years in the music industry, has also embraced the latest technology with his year 2000 venture. Instead of releasing his new single on CD, it will be available from the South African music download site, friedjam.com. Rob also plans a re-release for “Good News” on friedjam.com.
“Only You and I”, a gentle love song for Rob’s wife-to-be, Nora Glasgow, was written especially for her when the two met in 1986. “It’s our special song,” says Rob of the gentle ballad, “and we’ll be playing it at our wedding in Scotland in December too.”
Although “Give Me The Good News” still receives regular airplay on stations such as KFM, Rob’s heyday was in the early 1980’s when the song was a number one in South Africa and Rob was also named as best vocalist. Then, in 1984, the song also brought him international fame when it became the number one hit in France for ten weeks and Rob had the opportunity of sharing a stage with musical legends such as Al Jarreau and Bonnie Tyler. “The song just took off in Europe,” he says. “I ended up winning a prize at the Cannes Music festival and also later went to Copenhagen where the single performed well.”
Other songs he wrote during this period include “Star Wedding” and “The World is an Explosion”, a track that was initially banned in South Africa. During the early 80’s Rob not only achieved international fame, but was also resident in the Helderberg. “I arrived in Somerset West in 1980, the same year in which I wrote “Good News” and was with Mike Taylor at Somerset House until 1986.
Assistant sport master
“I lived in Land-and-Zeezicht and assisted as sport master at the school,” says Rob who today still has the highest praise for Mike, Somerset House’s principal, and the man who, says Rob, “taught former Springbok and Stormers lock Selborne Boome how to play rugby.”