Early life and career He was born in Kingsbury Road,
Islington, close to
Dalston Junction in London. His father ran a grocery shop and the family lived over it. Harris initially worked for an engineering company, from which he was dismissed for spending time writing verses on the back of scraps of
emery paper. He married Maud Barker in 1900 and became a railway clerk, living in Hemmingford Road, Islington with his wife, but took up performing and songwriting. For his wife's health, they moved to
Weston-super-Mare, where Harris joined a
concert party, took the
stage name Weston, and became half of a
double act, Conway and Weston. He sold his first song, "Boys of the Chelsea School", to the publishing firm of
Francis, Day and Hunter in 1902; it was popularised on stage by
George Leyton. Weston continued to write songs himself, and in collaboration with other songwriters. Among the most successful and lasting songs from the early part of his career were "
What a Mouth", sung by
Harry Champion in 1906 and successfully revived in 1960 by
Tommy Steele; and "
I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am", written with Fred Murray in 1910 and also popularised and first recorded by Champion, As well as songs for revues, notably those produced by
Lupino Lane, they wrote
sketches for such stars as
Fred Karno,
Robb Wilton and
Wee Georgie Wood. they wrote Holloway's 1934 monologue "
With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm", about the ghost of
Anne Boleyn haunting the
Tower of London, seeking revenge on
Henry VIII for having her beheaded. Father and son also collaborated on
Gracie Fields' 1933 song "Heaven Will Protect an Honest Girl", and on "Harmonica Dan" in 1936. Weston was also a talented amateur artist, whose paintings reflect his London background and include a watercolour of
Houndsditch Market painted in 1916. He died from a
brain tumour in London in 1936, aged 58. ==Legacy and influence==