Arts Features

Noel Harrison laughs that it's been a long and winding road which has eventually brought him to Devon.

But the lure of his four grandsons and three daughters was too hard to resist and he turned his back on the US and moved to Ashburton in 2004.

And he hasn't looked back.

"Of course I miss some friends and I miss the ability to be able to get into the car and drive for 3,000 miles but otherwise I really love living here in Devon.

Noel swapped life in the US for Ashburton

"My wife who is American says she actually likes the British weather!"

Life in a market town in Devon seems a long way from the glamour of a life as the performer of an Oscar-winning song and as the son of the quintessential English actor Rex Harrison - but actually the move makes a great deal of sense.

He has long had a connection with the South West having spent many of his formative years in Bude and of course there are his three daughters who all live in Devon and his four grandsons.

"It's wonderful to be able to spend time with them, before it was just a couple of weeks here and couple there."

His wife Lori Chapman, once a stylist to stars such as Mickey Rourke and Arnold Schwarzenegger, has also embraced life in the county and is a youth worker at the Bungalow Youth Project in Buckfastleigh.

Meanwhile Noel is really enjoying the shows he plays around the county in village halls.

And in the summer of 2009 he is kicking off a series of concerts in The Ship at Morwellham Quay - he was asked to take part by Jean Camp, music events organiser at Morwellham after they met at the site's folk festival.

The events are being held to help the Morwellham and Tamar Valley Trust funds for the World Heritage Site.

Noel's gig will benefit Morwellham Quay

So what can the audience expect from his show?

"I suppose eclectic is a good word for it."

And with a show which encompasses songs from the 30s, material from the Belgian troubadour Jacques Brel and a more modern touch with Whistle For The Choir by the Fratellis eclectic is indeed a fitting description.

"My son - who lives in New England - has also told me about the Arctic Monkeys and their fantastic lyrics so they may feature in the future too."

Of course The Windmills Of Your Mind - from the film the Thomas Crown Affair - is on the set list and there is always a "lovely" reaction to that, says Noel.

His many experiences inform the evening which is conducted in a conversational style as he recounts anecdotes from his varied life.

It takes in his time as British ski champion, an actor living in Hollywood, a number of years spent living on a 300-acre farm in Nova Scotia and much more.

He first started doing his shows in Devon through his association with Villages In Action - of which he is now a patron.

It is a rural touring scheme based in Crediton, which helps bring professional performances to communities through a network of local volunteer promoters.

"I think in the last year and half I've played in 28 village halls in Devon," says Noel.

The Windmills of Your Mind was recorded in 1968

"It's just great, they are the most wonderful audiences.

"It reminds me of when I first started performing - before I moved to America in the mid-60s - and I played the clubs around Europe.  

"The first job I ever got paid for was at the Soho Festival and I was billed as a French cabaret singer!

"I think it's wonderful to bring artists to bring to villages - rural touring is a terrific thing."

And he still writes songs too: "The title of the last song I wrote was called The Wind Blows Up My Trousers - it was about taking up the carpet in our house and the draught blowing though the cracks in the floorboards!"

He is currently planning an album with Mel Reeves and has begun a book about his own life on several occasions.

"I keep starting a book about my life - it's not going to be a kiss and tell about my father which I know is what some publishers would like.

"But I just don't seem to be able to get the tone right yet but I'm sure I'll crack it - I really enjoy writing.

"And I'd really like to do my show about Jacques Brel again."

With so much to do the future looks busy and his age, 75, seems to be no barrier to his plans.

"You know, I still feel like I'm just at the beginning and though of course I've had some really happy times in my life - I truly don't think I've been happier than this."