Harry Stewart
Encyclopedia
Harry Stewart was an American comedian and singer, who often performed as Yogi Yorgesson, a comically exaggerated Swede.
He was born in Tacoma, Washington
to Hans Skarbo, an immigrant from Norway, and his wife Elise. After the death of his mother he was adopted by the Stewart family. Stewart, who was raised in the Proctor District, attended Washington Grade School and Stadium High School in Tacoma.
In 1927 Stewart worked as an announcer, weather reporter, newsman and banjo player on KVI, a radio station that had recently started in Tacoma, Washington
. Stewart developed the character of Yogi Yorgesson while appearing on the Al Pearce
radio show from 1934 to 1937. He then began performing a comedy routine as Yogi in nightclubs. Yogi was originally a Hindu mystic from Stockholm, Sweden, but in time his crystal ball act was abandoned in favor of more homespun humor.
Stewart debuted as a singer in 1948 when he released two songs as Yogi Yorgesson. These proved to be so successful that Capitol Records
purchased the rights to his recordings. He continued on that label for the rest of his career. From 1948 through 1956 Stewart recorded over forty songs as Yogi Yorgesson. Beginning in 1953 he adopted other comic personas for some of his releases: Japanese (Harry Kari), country bumpkin (Claude Hopper) and German (Klaus Hammerschmidt).
Harry Stewart was killed in an automobile accident in 1956 while returning to Los Angeles
from an appearance in Ely, Nevada
. He was survived by his wife Gretchen, son Steven and stepdaughter Eleanor.
In 1949 Capitol Records
released "I Yust Go Nuts At Christmas" and "Yingle Bells", a single
by Yogi Yorgesson with the Johnny Duffy Trio. This record was the most popular of Stewart’s career, selling over one million copies and earning a gold disc
. The two songs have for many years been holiday favorites on the Dr. Demento
show.
Stan Boreson and Doug Setterberg recorded eighteen songs written by Harry Stewart and thereby introduced Yogi Yorgesson to a new generation of fans. Five of his songs appeared on their album Honey / Little Green Apples (1969) and another five on Yust Go Nuts At Christmas (1971). Boreson also recorded the 1980 tribute album Yust Tinkin' Of Yogi with eleven more songs by Stewart.
He was born in Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
to Hans Skarbo, an immigrant from Norway, and his wife Elise. After the death of his mother he was adopted by the Stewart family. Stewart, who was raised in the Proctor District, attended Washington Grade School and Stadium High School in Tacoma.
In 1927 Stewart worked as an announcer, weather reporter, newsman and banjo player on KVI, a radio station that had recently started in Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
. Stewart developed the character of Yogi Yorgesson while appearing on the Al Pearce
Al Pearce
Albert Pearce was a comedian, singer and banjoist who was a popular personality on several radio networks from 1928 to 1947....
radio show from 1934 to 1937. He then began performing a comedy routine as Yogi in nightclubs. Yogi was originally a Hindu mystic from Stockholm, Sweden, but in time his crystal ball act was abandoned in favor of more homespun humor.
Stewart debuted as a singer in 1948 when he released two songs as Yogi Yorgesson. These proved to be so successful that Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
purchased the rights to his recordings. He continued on that label for the rest of his career. From 1948 through 1956 Stewart recorded over forty songs as Yogi Yorgesson. Beginning in 1953 he adopted other comic personas for some of his releases: Japanese (Harry Kari), country bumpkin (Claude Hopper) and German (Klaus Hammerschmidt).
Harry Stewart was killed in an automobile accident in 1956 while returning to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
from an appearance in Ely, Nevada
Ely, Nevada
Ely is the largest city and county seat of White Pine County, Nevada, United States. Ely was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland Route. Ely's mining boom came later than the other towns along US 50, with the discovery of copper in 1906...
. He was survived by his wife Gretchen, son Steven and stepdaughter Eleanor.
In 1949 Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
released "I Yust Go Nuts At Christmas" and "Yingle Bells", a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
by Yogi Yorgesson with the Johnny Duffy Trio. This record was the most popular of Stewart’s career, selling over one million copies and earning a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. The two songs have for many years been holiday favorites on the Dr. Demento
Dr. Demento
Barret Eugene Hansen , better known as Dr. Demento, is a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present....
show.
Stan Boreson and Doug Setterberg recorded eighteen songs written by Harry Stewart and thereby introduced Yogi Yorgesson to a new generation of fans. Five of his songs appeared on their album Honey / Little Green Apples (1969) and another five on Yust Go Nuts At Christmas (1971). Boreson also recorded the 1980 tribute album Yust Tinkin' Of Yogi with eleven more songs by Stewart.
Selected discography
- 1952 Yogi Yorgesson's Family Album LP
- 1953 The Trials and Tribulations of Yogi Yorgesson EP
- 1954 Yingle Bells EP
- 1957 Comedy Caravan LP
- 1961 The Great Comedy Hits of Harry Stewart LP
- 1991 Have Yourself A Crazy Little Christmas CD
- 2009 Comedy Caravan (iTunes)
External links
- Yogi Yorgesson website
- Stan Boreson website
- Stan Boreson at HistoryLinkHistoryLinkHistoryLink is a website that is an encyclopedia of Washington State history. The site has more than 4,500 stories. There are 500 biographies and more than 14,000 images....
- Recordings by Yogi Yorgesson, Harry Kari and Klaus Hammerschmidt at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...