Ed Harcourt
Ed Harcourt Ed Harcourt traveled a lot as a child. His father was a diplomat, and Harcourt spent much of his childhood in Holland and Germany. His parents exposed him to all kinds of music, including jazz, blues, pop, soundtracks from musicals, and the Beatles. The music of Cole Porter and Fats Waller "gave me a feel for the importance of lyrics and narrative in songs. They take a lot of care with their lyrics---I try to do that," he told Stephanie Merritt of the London Observer. Other influences were the albums of Tom Waits and Randy Newman.