He was born Henry Thomas Joseph Hibbs, September 11, 1942, on Bell Island, Dominion of Newfoundland.
[1] He was educated at St. Kevin's High School, Wabana, and moved with his family to Toronto shortly after the death of his father.
At one of these plants he suffered a career changing accident that prevented him from any strenuous work; this led Harry to take up performing music.
[2] Hibbs became a member of the Caribou Show Band that played regularly to expatriate Newfoundlanders living in Toronto.
[1] Steve Fruitman of CIUT-FM created the Porcupine Award in 1990 for those who deserve recognition for their work in Canadian folklore music.