My Take
Harry Nilsson is genuinely one of the most underappreciated figures in American pop music, and it honestly baffles me that his name doesn't come up more often. Here's a guy from Brooklyn who never really toured, barely performed live, and still managed to win two Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance — in 1970 and 1973 — purely on the strength of his recordings. His album Nilsson Schmilsson is a masterpiece of mood and craft, and "Everybody's Talkin'" became so iconic through Midnight Cowboy that most people don't even realize it's a cover. The man had a tenor voice that could do things most singers only dream about, and his layered vocal overdubbing was ahead of its time. Losing him at 52 in 1994 felt genuinely tragic — you couldn't help wondering what else he had left to give.
Overview
Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer and songwriter known for his versatile tenor range, pioneering use of vocal overdubbing, explorations of the Great American Songbook, and Caribbean fusion sounds.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Harry Nilsson
- Name (Japanese)
- ハリー・ニルソン
- Reading
- はりー・にるそん
- Born
- June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Snake
- Origin
- Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- singer-songwriter / musician / singer / composer / songwriter
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Daniel Murphy High School
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1970 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
- 1973 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Nilsson Schmilsson | — | |
| Notable work | Everybody's Talkin' | — |
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.