Harry Perry (musician)
| Harry Perry | |
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Perry performing on Venice Beach Boardwalk
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Harold Arthur Perry |
| Born | May 19, 1951 |
| Origin | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Genres | Rock, alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, record producer, author, poet |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Website | harryperryband |
Harry Perry (born Harold Arthur Perry, May 19, 1951 in Washington, D.C., United States) is an American, Venice Beach boardwalk busker, known primarily for playing an electric guitar on inline skates or landroller skates (which have two large wheels that are slightly inclined) at Venice Beach Boardwalk. Perry is also known by his Sikh name Har Nar Singh Khalsa (he often performs wearing a traditional Sikh turban), and by his stage name, the Kama Kosmic Krusader.
After growing up in Michigan and recording with his first band there, Harry Perry began performing his original songs and guitar compositions on the Venice Beach Boardwalk in 1973. In addition to being considered the most famous musician who performs at the Venice Beach Boardwalk, he is considered one of the area's most famous skaters, first on traditional roller skates, then on inline skates when they were invented, and currently on Landroller skates. Over the course of nearly four decades, the Venice Beach Boardwalk became a world-famous tourist attraction where a variety of artists performed and sold various wares associated with their creative arts, such as CDs and T-shirts. Then, during the early 1990s, at a time when real estate developers wanted to gentrify Venice, California, the Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance banning people from public performance on the Venice Beach Boardwalk. Using the ordinance as its bludgeon, the Los Angeles Police began to harass people who performed there. In response, Harry Perry became a named plaintiff in a class action lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the Los Angeles Police Department and the ordinance. The plaintiffs based their suit on various constitutional principles that provide for freedom of expression, commerce, and congregation. After many years of litigation, The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Perry and his co-plaintiffs. However, their victory was short lived. The Los Angeles City Council created new legislation that severely restricted performance on the Venice Beach Boardwalk rather than banning it altogether. In addition, the City of Santa Monica followed the lead of the Los Angeles City Council and passed statutes that strictly limited the ability of performers like Harry Perry to sell CDs and T-shirts to their audiences. Perry and others have initiated legal action in response, alleging that the combination of gentrification and the performance restriction ordinances threatens to destroy the very atmosphere and commerce that made Venice Beach the social mecca for which it is famous. He met Andrea Tenaglia and they became the new "Couple of musician" in Venice Beach.
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