Roy Harter (born March 6, 1973) is a New York
Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
award-winning,
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and def ...
,
sound designer
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...
and
audio mixer
A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals from electric or electronic instr ...
, best known for his work in television and film. He is also a
multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments, often but not exclusively at a professional level of proficiency.
Also known as woodwind doubler, doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and mor ...
for various performing and recording artists. Harter was the founder and owner of the
post-production
Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...
facility
SkinnyMan
Skinnyman (born Alexander Graham Holland, 9 November 1974) is a British rapping, rapper who was born in Chapeltown, West Yorkshire, Chapeltown Leeds, Yorkshire and moved to Finsbury Park (area), Finsbury Park, London at a young age. He is best ...
, located in Times Square, New York.
Biography
Editional Effects
In 1998 Harter became co-owner of the audio division of the television
post-production
Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...
facility
Editional Effects, (EENYC) located in Times Square, New York City. He set up and ran their audio division.
SkinnyMan
In 2003 Harter set up his television and film
post-production
Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...
facility
SkinnyMan
Skinnyman (born Alexander Graham Holland, 9 November 1974) is a British rapping, rapper who was born in Chapeltown, West Yorkshire, Chapeltown Leeds, Yorkshire and moved to Finsbury Park (area), Finsbury Park, London at a young age. He is best ...
, in Times Square, New York City. He has composed music, mixed television commercials, promos, and shows for many major television networks.
SkinnyMan
Skinnyman (born Alexander Graham Holland, 9 November 1974) is a British rapping, rapper who was born in Chapeltown, West Yorkshire, Chapeltown Leeds, Yorkshire and moved to Finsbury Park (area), Finsbury Park, London at a young age. He is best ...
served as a home base and recording studio for all of Harter's musical projects.
Credits
Roy Harter is the music composer for a number of television and internet shows, including the popular
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
game show, ''
Figure It Out
''Figure It Out'' is an American children's panel game show that aired on Nickelodeon. The original series, hosted by Summer Sanders, ran for four seasons from July 7, 1997, to December 12, 1999. The show was revived in 2012, with Jeff Sutph ...
.'' He is the composer for astrophysicist
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson ( or ; born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysics, astrophysicist, author, and science communication, science communicator. Tyson studied at Harvard University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Columbia Univ ...
’s show
StarTalk, as well as
Don Jamieson’s “''That Jamieson Show”.''
Harter performs and tours with various musical artists and bands, including
Dan Donnelly's live band
Sonovagun,
The Membranes,
Goldblade
Goldblade are an English punk rock band from Manchester, England. The band formed in early 1995 when ex Membranes frontman, John Robb, put the band together with Wayne Simmons and former Membranes and A Witness vocalist Keith Curtis on bass, ...
,
The Fabulous Good Time Party Boys,
Ray Wylie Hubbard
Ray Wylie Hubbard (born November 13, 1946) is an American singer and songwriter.
Early life
Hubbard was born on November 13, 1946, in Soper, Oklahoma. His family moved to Oak Cliff in southwest Dallas, Texas, in 1954. He attended W. ...
,
Damien Dempsey,
Duke Special,
The Levellers,
The Pietasters,
3 Daft Monkeys
3 Daft Monkeys are a world music-influenced acoustic band from Cornwall, UK, consisting of Tim Ashton, Athene Roberts, Rich Mulryne, and Jamie Graham. The instrumentation consists of vocals, fiddle, twelve-string guitar, bass guitar and percuss ...
,
The Celtic Social Club, Pattern Pusher, and
Common
Common may refer to:
As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin.
Places
* Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
* Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts
* Cambridge Com ...
.
Using various musicians, including members of
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...
's band and
Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers are a Northern Irish punk rock band from Belfast. They formed in 1977 at the height of the Troubles, which informed much of their songwriting. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star (named after the Deep P ...
, Roy Harter composed all the promotional music for the children's television network
Noggin. The "Alley Pond Park Ensemble" he created for the project was given strict rules that only allowed the musicians to perform using common household items, such as pots and pans.
On October 21, 2005 Harter gave a televised
alpine bell performance in Times Square, New York City. The event was sponsored by
Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. ( ), is an American telecommunications company headquartered in New York City. It is the world's second-largest telecommunications company by revenue and its mobile network is the largest wireless carrier in the ...
and aired on
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
. The performance was also simulcast on the
Viacom Jumbo-Tron Screen in Times Square, New York.
From January 2007 to 2010, Harter hosted a weekly radio show entitled "Roy Harter's Outlaw Hour", airing every Sunday night on UK based, Tinternet Radio. The show was primarily a music program showcasing
outlaw country and rebellious musical acts, both classic and modern.
Since 2011, Harter has become a regular character on "The Davey Mac Sports Program", hosted by Dave McDonald. He plays the musical sidekick character of "Roy Shaffer", often interrupting and accompanying the host with humorous musical stings. The radio show was broadcast on
SiriusXM
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...
every Saturday night at 7-10 PM (EST) on the
Opie Radio
Faction Talk is a subscription-based channel on the satellite radio service Sirius XM Radio. The channel first aired on XM on August 6, 2004, as xL High Voltage in preparation for the launch of the American radio show '' Opie and Anthony'' sev ...
channel.

From 2016 to 2022 Harter was the musical director and co-host of the ''
East Side Dave Show'' on
Compound Media
Compound Media (formerly The Anthony Cumia Network) was an American subscription-based platform for audio and video podcasts. It was launched as The Anthony Cumia Network in 2014 by radio personality Anthony Cumia, who began hosting '' The Anth ...
.
Harter is involved with The Beatles Complete On Ukulele project. This worldwide musical project, founded by David Barratt, features a re-recorded version of an original
Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
song, with a
ukulele
The ukulele ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...
in every arrangement. Harter has produced tracks with radio personality
Sherwin Sleeves, as well as bestselling author
Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra (; ; born October 22, 1946) is an Indian-American author, New Age, new age guru, and alternative medicine advocate. A prominent figure in the New Age movement, his books and videos have made him one of the best-known and wealthi ...
for the project.
Since May 2015 he has been a featured
accordion
Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...
ist of
The Celtic Social Club (collective of Scottish, Breton, French and New York musicians). Their album ''unplugged New York City'' was released in France on October 30 on the label
Keltia Musique.
Filmography
* 2003: Tide – ''Composer''
* 2005: The Mad One – ''Actor''
* 2007: Area X - ''Composer''
* 2007: Astoria Park – ''Sound Design / Mix''
* 2007: The Slackers - ''Sound Design / Mix''
* 2008: Act As If - ''Sound Design / Mix''
* 2010: Go-Go - ''Composer / Sound Design / Mix''
* 2010:
After the Catch (Season 4) - ''Sound Design / Mix''
* 2012: Nickelodeon's
Figure It Out
''Figure It Out'' is an American children's panel game show that aired on Nickelodeon. The original series, hosted by Summer Sanders, ran for four seasons from July 7, 1997, to December 12, 1999. The show was revived in 2012, with Jeff Sutph ...
- ''Composer''
Discography
As Roy Harter
* 2016: Roy Harter presents Stingers and Songs from The East Side Dave Show
* 2013:
Oddy Clone With Sherwin Sleeves
* 2003:
Lover of Beauty and Coffee Breath
As Audio Engineer or Producer
* 2001: Liz Skillman - ''"In the Middle"''
* 2002: Liz Skillman - ''"Wayphoria"''
* 2000: Abbey of Regina Laudis - ''"Women in Chant"''
* 2000: Bed Devils - ''"Le Caprice"''
* 1999: Dequincy's Dream - ''"Solfege"''
* 1998: Dequincy's Dream - ''"Jeepers Mister, Thanks for the Sweet Deal"''
With Dan Donnelly & Sonovagun
* 2006: Bootleg
* 2006: The Beach E.P.
* 2007: Yearning a Living
* 2008: Live in NYC
* 2010: Running E.P.
* 2011: Country and Northern
References
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External links
Roy Harter website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harter, Roy
1973 births
Living people
American male composers
21st-century American composers
American accordionists
Theremin players
21st-century American keyboardists
21st-century American male musicians
People from Sunnyside, Queens