Ring's 2026 Super Bowl commercial features Harry Nilsson's performance of "Without You."
Ring Search Party Commercial
The Harry Nilsson Web Pages
Harry Nilsson News (2026-02-02)
Harry Nilsson Sings "Without You" in 2026 Super Bowl Commercial
Harry Nilsson News (2025-08-13)
Harry Nilsson
"Harry Nilsson" by Octoberman
Octoberman released "Harry Nilsson" on August 13, 2025, as both a single and video in advance of Chutes, their seventh full-length album.
The song is described as "a shimmering blend of jangle-pop and wistful storytelling" inspired by Nilsson's take on "Without You."
Harry Nilsson News (2025-05-09)
Gary Nilsson Dies
It is with great sadness that we have learned of the passing of Gary Nilsson.
Gary was a supporter of this website, providing photographs, news articles, and personal anecdotes about his half-brother, Harry Nilsson. Gary was a fan of popular music and Harry's music in particular. His Facebook page is full of photos of him with pop stars from the 1960s and '70s. As a featured guest at Harryfest 2002 he shared stories of growing up as both a fan and relative of Harry Nilsson and about his, and Harry's, father who shared Harry's love of baseball and was once a scout for the Cincinnati Reds.
But, beyond all of that, Gary was a friend. He will be missed.
Harry Nilsson News (2025-02-20)
Newly-Released Film of Harry Nilsson and Ringo Starr at the Son Of Dracula Premiere
A newly-released film shows Harry Nilsson and Ringo Starr attending the premiere of Son of Dracula.
Harry Nilsson and Ringo Starr at the Son Of Dracula Premiere
Harry Nilsson News (2024-12-24)
Richard Perry Has Died
Richard Perry, producer of Harry Nilsson's Nilsson Schmilsson has died. Perry died at age 82 on December 24, 2024.
Featured Article of the Day
Perry Botkin
Perry Lafayette Botkin, Jr., was a successful songwriter, arranger, and publisher when Harry Nilsson met him around 1960. Botkin arranged music for several of Harry's songs and co-wrote songs with Nilsson.
Perry's father began playing bass guitar in high school in Richmond, Indiana. He switched to ukulele then banjo before picking up the guitar. As Bing Crosby's guitarist, he performed on Crosby's "Kraft Music Hall" radio show in the late 1930s and early 1940s.[1]
Perry Botkin's Father at the Chicagoland Music Festival in 1965[2]
The younger Perry Botkin was born on April 16, 1933 in New York City, New York.
Botkin studied music at the University of Indiana and the University of Southern California Los Angeles. [3]
While attending UCLA, the younger Botkin met Sally Bremer (who was attending Pepperdine College). Sally introduced "Bunny" (as Botkin was nicknamed) to another singer, Bert Convy. The three of them formed a vocal group called "The Cheers." When Botkin went into the service for two years, Gil Garfield (who was attending the University of Southern California) replaced Botkin in "The Cheers."[4]
In 1956, Perry appeared with his father in an episode of the TV show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet called "The Banjo Player."
"The Banjo Player" with Perry Botkin
The younger Botkin portrayed himself as "Bunny Botkin." [5]
In 1980, Zapata, a musical stage play written by Harry and Perry Botkin, opened at the Goodspeed Opera House in Chester, Connecticut, but failed to move on to Broadway.
Perry Botkin is probably best known as the composer of the theme for "The Young and the Restless." He has composed the score for many television shows and films. He has arranged music for dozens of artists including Jose Feliciano, Connie Stevens, Harpers Bizarre, Jennifer Warnes, and others.
Botkin experimented with electronic music and released a few self-produced CDs.
- [1] Los Angeles Evening Citizen News (Hollywood, California), Zuma Palmer (1946-05-02) "Guitarist Unsung But Important"
- [2] Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois), THomas Fitzpatrick (1965-08-08) "Lively Festival Thrills Audience with Its Magic"
- [3] "Perry Botkin, Jr. Is Man with Beat" Biddeford-Saco Journal (Biddeford, Maine) (1965-10-30)
- [4] Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Leonard Mendlowitz (1955-11-29) "Cheers Sing Way to Fame"
- [5] "Television Log" The San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco, California) (1956-10-31)
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Welcome to the Harry Nilsson Web Pages
This site is dedicated to the music and memory of Harry Nilsson. From the late 1960s through the early '90s, Nilsson produced music that both challenged norms and celebrated the past - often within the same song.
On first listen, his early Pandemonium Shadow Show is just an appealing collection of bouncy pop songs, a product of the time when it was released. But, on closer listen songs like "1941" and "Without Her" feature poignant and wistful lyrics on top of their upbeat, pop melodies. To the listener in the late 1960s, the melodies and songs, such as “Freckles” sometimes invoked what would have seemed a nostalgic air, but they still sound fresh more than fifty years later.
Nilsson remained unconventional throughout his career. He never toured to support an album and he made few TV appearances. He released an album of songs which were all written by another songwriter. He recorded an album of standards in front of an orchestra. He followed up his best selling album and song with an album featuring a song pretty much guaranteed to surprise, if not offend, his new fans.
Harry ventured into movies and TV, creating a classic animated story (“The Point!”) and writing the music and songs for the once-panned, but now cult favorite, film Popeye starring Robin Williams.
In the last years of his life, after his friend John Lennon was shot and killed, Harry stepped back from music and, ironically perhaps, more into the public eye as the spokesperson for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence advocating for sensible gun laws in America.
A heart attack took Harry’s life in early 1994. Yet, his memory lives on in the hearts and minds of his friends, family, and fans. And his music lives on with Sony releasing a comprehensive collection of his works on CD and his music being featured prominently in TV and movies.