 He left Pewsey Vale School at 15, and tried several dead end jobs before beginning an apprenticeship as an electronics engineer in 1984.At the age of seventeen, Harris was recruited by New Model Army to replace original bass player Stuart Morrow (1980–85) who had left the band midway through the 1985 'No Rest For The Wicked' tour.He toured extensively with the band over the next five years, playing at venues across Europe, the United States and Japan.