Entertainer Rolf Harris has revealed how the musicians who helped him record Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport turned down royalties which would have made them rich - because they thought the song would be a flop.

The track went on to become his theme song, but when he recorded it in 1960 he had no idea it would be a hit.

He offered four unknown backing musicians - The Rhythm Spinners - 10% of the royalties, but they decided to take a recording fee of �28 between them.

The song became a massive hit around the world, launching Harris to stardom.

It topped the Australian charts, got to number three in the US and number nine in the UK.

Number one

"They said, 'No, we'll take the recording fee,' so I paid them seven quid each - �28 for the four guys - and then four weeks later it was number one," he recalled.

"I don't think the guys are still around now, I think they've all passed on. I'm not sure."

The 70-year-old entertainer, who is based in the UK, is in Australia to accept an honorary doctorate of letters from Edith Cowan University, in his home city of Perth.

He said the group did not want to sing in an Australian accent, and had to be persuaded.

"They were all shaking their heads, saying, 'It'll never work, you've got to have an American accent, mate, otherwise forget it.'

"I said, 'Look, it's my song. Just sing it the way you speak, don't put this accent on.'

"They're all going 'tsk, tsk, tsk,' and they did it with fairly bad grace."

Thousands of dollars

Harris was already well-known in the UK at the time, having been a children's TV presenter since 1953.

His popularity has endured since then, and he is now best known for presenting the BBC's Animal Hospital programme.

He said he had no idea how much the musicians would have lost over the years.

Rock historian Glenn A Baker said the loss would have run into tens of thousands of dollars.

"Can you imagine - some professional studio musicians are called in to a bloke with a beard and a wobble board to sing some song about tying a kangaroo down?," he said.

"You'd have to have a crystal ball to think that would be a hit," he said.