COLIN MORT (1937–2021) Tributes to a past Chairman - a grandee of the harmonica world.
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On 13th August the world lost Colin Mort, who played a key role in the history of the National Harmonica League, now HarmonicaUK. Colin was born in Kent and after spending some of his early years in India, he completed his education at Framlingham College in Suffolk. He bought his first 10-hole harmonica at the age of 12 in Port Said when he was passing through the Suez Canal on the way to Rangoon. After school he completed an Engineering Apprenticeship with Rolls Royce and met his wife Marion at the University of Edinburgh. They married and set up home in Derby, where Colin began his lifelong association with vintage Rover cars. In 1965, Colin moved to Harrow in London and started a new job with IBM. In 1971, he purchased his beloved Rover Tourer which became his lifelong restoration project. In 1976, the family moved to Shirrell Heath, near Southampton, as Colin continued to work for IBM. Colin’s involvement with his children’s music lessons re-awoke his passion for music and he began to play harmonica again. He joined the local Choral Society and with the help of a music teacher, began to study music seriously. Colin came across the NHL in the early 1980s and met up with the new President, John Walton. Colin got involved: in 1986 he won the NHL Championship in Banbury and in 1987 he competed in the World Championships in Jersey, Channel Islands. That same year, the presidency of the NHL passed to Colin. He reorganised the committee, becoming Chairman, and persuaded Larry Adler to become President. Colin kept the organisation afloat, filling roles such as treasurer and newsletter editor as necessary, and slowly eliminated its debts, helped by a succession of committee members, before stepping down in 2000. He put up a website on Compuserve, which I took over in 1999 to build harmonica.co.uk. Colin met Rowena Millar (then Gelling) in 1982. They entered harmonica competitions as a duo, and formed trios/quartets with Rowena’s husband Andy, Steve and Josie Jennings, and later, Gerry Ezard. They joined Jim Hughes’s National Harmonica Orchestra, competing at two international festivals. Colin was an engineer and learned how to service and tune his harmonicas, skills he enjoyed passing on to others. After I took over, he spent time with me and Ben sharing his knowledge. Encouraging children and opening up the organisation to diatonic players was part of his strategy for the future. In retirement, Colin taught, played, and founded Southern Harmonics in Hampshire. He continued as NHL Membership Secretary for a while, helped at annual festivals and chromatic weekends, and organised a harmonica band tribute to Ken Howell and Douglas Tate: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik55cSUKEns
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