Harrison was an instrumental piece of Vancouver's burgeoning rock scene beginning in the late '70s, when he started his tenure at The Province newspaper, gradually becoming a trusted tastemaker and valued critical voice. Harrison remained at The Province for 37 years, during which he charted the rise of artists like Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan and Loverboy.
Adams took to Twitter to pay his respects to Harrison, writing, "Condolences to the family of rock journalist and musician Tom Harrison. Tom was from Vancouver and was one of the very first critics and supporters of my work."
Buck Cherry of the Modernettes wrote on Facebook, "It's impossible to describe or credit just how invaluable Tom was to our scene and it's no stretch to say none of us would have had the careers we've had had he not championed us from the very first."
The last edition of Harrison's weekly column, The Garage, was published in February 2017. In his goodbye column, he wrote: "The Garage started as a personal response to how active local music had become. Many acts were releasing up to six albums and thought nothing of touring the world, not just BC."
Harris is partially responsible for aiding those international ambitions, helping to spread the word about Vancouver bands looking to break beyond the city's scene.
In 2015, Harrison released Tom Harrison's History of Vancouver Rock 'n' Roll, an ebook that traced how Vancouver developed a rapidly expanding and globally recognized music scene. Harrison was also a musician in his own right, writing and performing his own material and singing in Bruno Gerussi's Medallion, who released their sole album, In Search of the Fourth Chord, in 1989.
Read some tributes to Harrison below.
Condolences to the family of rock journalist and musician Tom Harrison. Tom was from Vancouver and was one of the very first critics and supporters of my work at @theprovince back when I was starting out. RIP #tomharrison
Heartbroken to learn that my dear friend Tom Harrison, longtime #Vancouver music writer, has passed away. We were colleagues and friends for almost 40 years, and I learned so much about writing from him. Will post links to an obit when it runs. bcentertainmenthalloffame.com/harrison-tom/
I'm saddened by the news. Tom was kind. He had a great ear for music & wild stories to share. He helped shape the local music scene & gave many indie bands a leg up with a review or interview or thoughtful feedback. He even came to my very first stand-up gig! RIP Tom Harrison ❤️
Heartbroken to learn that my dear friend Tom Harrison, longtime #Vancouver music writer, has passed away. We were colleagues and friends for almost 40 years, and I learned so much about writing from him. Will post links to an obit when it runs. bcentertainmenthalloffame.com/harrison-tom/
RIP Tom Harrison, Vancouver music journalism legend for @theprovince.
RIP Tom Harrison, unparalleled chronicler of the Vancouver scene. He was one of the first people I contacted when I started writing The Longest Suicide and he couldn't have been more generous with his memories. One of the giants of Canadian music journalism.
