Harry French: In Memoriam

By Irish Boston Tourism Newsroom

From Quincy to Cape Cod to the Florida Keys, entertainer Harry French (1953-2026) made a living getting people to smile, sing-along, clap their hands and dance.

The Quincy native and long-time Cape Cod resident was a one-man band, a pure entertainer and raconteur with a cadre of fans from Massachusetts to Florida. He had 600+ songs in his repertoire and used to hand out lyric-sheets for the sing-alongs.

At the end of the night, when the lights came on, his audience always promised to return the next night, to do it again.

Harry’s wheelhouse was Classic Rock from the 60s and 70s but he also played blues, jazz, country and Irish songs along the way. Jimmy Buffet, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, José Feliciano, Lou Rawls – he covered them flawlessly. He loved playing Van Morrison’s “Brown-Eyed Girl” for his wife Ann, his biggest fan.

A consummate musician who spent years perfecting jazz and blues riffs on his guitar, Harry also played a mean harmonica on Bob Dylan, Billy Joel and Neil Young songs.

He was a troubadour journeyman in the best sense, packed up and ready to travel anywhere, anytime for the music. He carted his own sound equipment with him in the back of his truck, doing his own set-up and break-down for every gig. Restaurants and clubs loved his repertoire and engaging personality, but also that he was prompt, reliable and could draw a crowd.

Over the years, Harry performed regularly at Oliver’s Restaurant in Yarmouth Port, the Windjammer Lounge in Hyannis, Amari’s in Sandwich, Flying Bridge in Falmouth and Poopsie’s in Pembroke.

He was a troubadour journeyman in the best sense, packed up and ready to travel anywhere, anytime for the music.

The late Cape Cod tourism maven Patti Lloyd often hired Harry to entertain tour groups visiting town, and he performed regularly on Hy-Line Cape Cod Canal Cruises and whale-watching boats. In his off-time, Harry performed at many weddings, private parties and special events in Massachusetts and Florida.

For three months each winter, Harry headed south to the Florida Keys, playing at Marker 88 and Lorelei Restaurant & Cabana Bar in Islamorada and Snappers and Sundowners in Key Largo. Not a bad gig, right!

Harry grew up in the Squantum and Wollaston sections of Quincy with his parents and three sisters. He took up drums in high school and quickly became part of Boston’s musical camaraderie. He was the drummer for the Myles Connor Band at the infamous Beachcomber on Wollaston Beach in Quincy and even did a few concerts for the inmates down at Walpole Prison.

Beyond the music Harry was a renaissance man of sorts. He got his pilot’s license and flew a small plane out of the Marshfield Municipal Airport.

He was an avid sailor on his 27-foot boat, Miss Vivienne, and loved to take friends and family out on the water, sailing from Cotuit Harbor over to Nantucket and the Vineyard or up to Buzzards Bay. At their former house, he single-handedly built a back porch deck and installed a bathroom in the basement.

Harry loved to cook, especially Mexican and Italian dishes. Overnight guests at his house would awaken to the aroma of massive omelets cooking in the skillet, along with his special recipe for home fries. He was a baker and as a guest always arrived with a fresh loaf of bread or apple and rhubarb pies.

He was generous with his time and talents. He taught our sons Leo to build computers and Devin to play his first guitar chords, and he showed Colette how to make sour dough bread. He grew to love the two cats he and Ann adopted. He was an avid reader with an encyclopedic command of Boston lore, musical history and healthy foods. And he could trade stories and tall tales for days on end, with his big smile and gregarious personality.

Harry spent the last two years battling cancer, and after a mighty fight, passed away on May 7, 2026 at Cape Cod Hospital, just a week before his 73rd birthday. He leaves his beloved wife Ann and three sisters, Joan Loring, Peggy Walsh and Linda Awed, and scores of relatives, in-laws and friends. And he leaves legions of fans up and down the coast.

With his music always in our memories, we say thanks and God Speed to this man of many encores, this generous and talented friend, the one and only Harry French.