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BBC Radio Orchestra
The BBC Radio Orchestra was a broadcasting orchestra based in London, maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation from 1964 until 1991. The BBC Radio Orchestra was formed in 1964 as a large, flexible studio orchestra on the Nelson Riddle/ Henry Mancini model, featuring a full jazz Big Band combined with symphonic strings. The various sections of the Radio Orchestra, prefixed A-E, could be used for different kinds of recordings and sessions. Of all these sections, only the "C1" big band section of the Radio Orchestra had its own real identity and was known as the BBC Radio Big Band. The orchestra’s primary function was to accompany popular singers in ‘cover versions’ and play instrumental arrangements of the popular tunes of the day on BBC Radio 2, as in the 1960s, broadcasting regulations meant the BBC was only allowed to play five hours of commercial gramophone records per day on air. However, the Radio Orchestra did play a great deal of jazz and light music by l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BBC Scottish Radio Orchestra
The BBC Scottish Radio Orchestra (SRO) was a light music broadcasting orchestra based in Glasgow, Scotland, maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation from 1940 until disbandment in 1981. History Established by the BBC in 1940 as the Scottish Variety Orchestra, the orchestra was originally a freelance ensemble under the direction of arranger and conductor Ronnie Munro and based at the BBC Studios in Glasgow. It shared studio space with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. This new orchestra had an instrumentation comprising a small brass section, woodwinds, four saxophones, strings and a basic rhythm section including accordion. Having a small saxophone section, it was effectively a showband, and this line up which would enable it to play both light and dance music. One of its functions being to accompany the variety shows which were produced in Scotland for the BBC National Programme and the Scottish Home Service. Initially it had regular appearances in 'Music While Y ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malcolm Lockyer
Malcolm Neville Lockyer (5 October 1923 – 28 June 1976) was a British film composer and conductor. Biography Lockyer was born in Greenwich, London, England. In his early years he developed an interest in dance and from here gathered an interest in music. At the age of nineteen he became a musician in the Royal Air Force and in 1944 joined the Buddy Featherstonhaugh Sextet. His biggest successes in composition were for the BBC series' ''Friends and Neighbours'' (1954) and ''The Pursuers'' (1961) for which he wrote the themes. He scored several films for Harry Alan Towers, such as '' Sandy the Seal'' (1965), ''Our Man in Marrakesh'' (1966), ''Five Golden Dragons'' (1967) and ''The Vengeance of Fu Manchu'' (1967). His other film scores include ''The Pleasure Girls'' (1965), '' Island of Terror'' (1966), ''Deadlier than the Male'' (1967) and '' Night of the Big Heat'' (1967). He also composed the music for the 1965 film ''Dr. Who and the Daleks'' (1965); some arrangements from tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Encyclopedia Of Popular Music
''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' is an encyclopedia created in 1989 by Colin Larkin. It is the "modern man's" equivalent of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music'', which Larkin describes in less than flattering terms.''The Times'', ''The Knowledge'', Christmas edition, 22 December 2007 – 4 January 2008. It is published by the Oxford University Press and was described by ''The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". History of the encyclopedia Larkin believed that rock music and popular music were at least as significant historically as classical music, and as such, should be given definitive treatment and properly documented. ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' is the result. In 1989, Larkin sold his half of the publishing company Scorpion Books to finance his ambition to publish an encyclopedia of popular music. Aided by a team of initially 70 contributors, he set about compiling the data in a pre-internet age, "relying instead on information ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billy May
Edward William May Jr. (November 10, 1916 – January 22, 2004) was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music for ''The Green Hornet (TV series), The Green Hornet'' (1966), ''The Mod Squad (TV series), The Mod Squad'' (1968), ''Batman (TV series), Batman'' (with ''Batgirl'' theme, 1967), and ''Naked City (TV series), Naked City'' (1960). He collaborated on films such as ''Pennies from Heaven (1981 film), Pennies from Heaven'' (1981), and orchestrated ''Cocoon (film), Cocoon'', and ''Cocoon: The Return'', among others. May wrote arrangements for many top singers, including Frank Sinatra, Yma Sumac, Nat King Cole, Anita O'Day, Peggy Lee, Vic Damone, Bobby Darin, Johnny Mercer, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Prima, Keely Smith, Jack Jones (singer), Jack Jones, Bing Crosby, Sandler and Young, Nancy Wilson (jazz singer), Nancy Wilson, Rosemary Clooney, The Andrews Sisters and Ella Mae Morse. He also collaborated with satirist Stan Freberg on several c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maida Vale Studios
Maida Vale Studios is a complex of seven BBC sound studios, of which five are in regular use, in Delaware Road, Maida Vale, west London. It has been used to record thousands of classical music, popular music and drama sessions for BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 6 Music from 1946 to the present. On 30 October 2009, BBC Radio 1 celebrated ''75 Years of Maida Vale'' by exclusively playing 75 tracks recorded at the studios over the years. Snow Patrol played a live set from the studio with Fearne Cotton to celebrate 75 years of live music from the venue. In June 2018, the BBC announced the closure of the studios. In May 2020, Historic England designated it as a Grade II Listed Building. The BBC plans to vacate the premises by 2025, moving into a new development which is part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Olympic Park, offering high-tech facilities and two spaces for public concerts. In August 2023, the studios were sold to a partnership betw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geoff Love
Geoffrey Love (4 September 1917 – 8 July 1991) was a prolific British arranger and composer of easy listening and pop versions of film themes, famous in the late 1950s under the stage name Manuel and the Music of the Mountains. Early years Love was born in Todmorden, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, the only son and younger of two surviving children (an elder sister Cornelia) of African American Thomas Edward (Kidd) Love and his English wife, Frances Helen Maycock (1892–1975), an actress and singer. The Loves travelled around Britain as entertainers, but, following the death of his father, the family returned to their grandmother's house in Todmorden. Whilst at school, Love learned the trombone. After leaving school at 15, Love worked as a car mechanic and played trombone at dance halls in the evening. Having turned professional at 17, Love joined Freddie Platt's band. Later, in 1936, he joined Jan Ralfini's band playing in London and learned to play jazz. With the ou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnny Harris (musician)
John Stanley Livingstone Harris (9 November 1932 – 20 March 2020) was a Scottish composer, producer, arranger, conductor, and musical director. He lived in the United States from 1972 until his death. The British years (1932–1972) Johnny Harris was born in Edinburgh, Scotland to Welsh parents and was a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music in London. He was originally a trumpet player with the Norman Burns band and big bands led by Vic Lewis, Ken Mackintosh, Cyril Stapleton and then a member of the short-lived beat group The Shubdubs with drummer Jimmie Nicol and organist Roger Coulam. In 1964, he recorded a Beatles cover version album and EP called ''Beatlemania'' with Jimmie Nicol which resulted in Nicol's replacing the ill Ringo Starr on a worldwide Beatles tour. He joined Pye Records in 1965 as an arranger and conductor for producer Tony Hatch and his then-wife Jackie Trent. Johnny had an un-credited role as conductor on the '' Nancy In London'' album and worke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Chacksfield
Francis Charles Chacksfield (9 May 1914 – 9 June 1995) was an English pianist, organist, composer, arranger, and conductor of popular light orchestral easy listening music, who had great success in Britain and internationally in the 1950s and early 1960s. Life and career Chacksfield was born in Battle, East Sussex, and as a child learned to play the piano and organ. His organ teacher was J. R. Sheehan-Dare (1857–1934). He had appeared at Hastings Music Festivals by the time he was 14, and then became deputy church organist at Salehurst. After working for a short period in a solicitor's office he decided on a career in music, and by the late 1930s, led a small band at Tonbridge in Kent. At the beginning of World War II, he joined the Royal Army Service Corps, and, following a radio broadcast as a pianist, was posted to ENSA at Salisbury where he became the arranger for ''Stars in Battledress'', an armed forces entertainment troupe, and shared an office with comedian Charlie C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roland Shaw
Roland Shaw (born Roland Edgar Shaw-Tomkins; 26 May 1920 – 11 May 2012) was an English composer, musical arranger, and orchestra leader. Shaw was born in Leicester and attended the Trinity College of Music. He served in the Royal Air Force in World War II leading RAF No 1 Band of the Middle East Forces. Following wartime service he arranged music for Ted Heath, Mantovani and many others. The popularity of Shaw's arrangements of Bond themes led to ''More Themes from the James Bond Thrillers'' for the release of '' Thunderball'' with tracks from both albums released on a 1965 UK album called ''James Bond in Action''. In 1966, his orchestra released a compilation entitled ''Themes for Secret Agents''. In 1967 ''Themes from the James Bond Thrillers Vol.3'' (released in the UK as ''More James Bond in Action'') followed the release of '' Casino Royale'' and '' You Only Live Twice''. Shaw came back in 1971 with a double album ''The Return of James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever'' (rele ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Fox (composer, Arranger, Conductor)
John Fox or Foxe may refer to: Arts and entertainment Writers *John Fox (biographer) (1693–1763), English biographer * John Fox (writer) (c. 1952–1990), American novelist and short-story writer *John Fox, Jr. (1862–1919), American journalist and novelist Others in arts and entertainment * John Fox (comedian) (1953–2012), American comedian * John Fox (composer) (1924–2015), English composer and conductor of light music *John Fox, co-director of 2025 film '' Flight Risk'' * Johnny Fox (performer) (1953–2017), American professional sword swallower and sleight-of-hand expert Military *Tinker Fox (1610–1650), English Parliamentarian soldier * John R. Fox (1915–1944), U.S. Army officer and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II Politics *John Foxe (MP) (died 1586), Member of Parliament for Aldeburgh * John Fox (Newfoundland politician) (1818–1871), merchant and politician in Newfoundland * John Fox (congressman) (1835–1914), U.S. Representative from New York *Marcu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Aspel
Michael Terence Aspel (born 12 January 1933) is an English retired television presenter and newsreader. He hosted programmes such as '' Crackerjack!'', '' Ask Aspel'', ''Aspel & Company'', '' Give Us a Clue'', '' This Is Your Life'', '' Strange but True?'' and '' Antiques Roadshow''. Early life Aspel was born on 12 January 1933 in Battersea in London. During the Second World War, he was evacuated from the area and spent nearly five years in Chard, Somerset. He attended Emanuel School after passing his eleven-plus in 1944 and served as a conscript during his national service, in the ranks of the King's Royal Rifle Corps, from 1951 to 1953. Career Aspel worked as a drainpipe-layer and gardener and sold advertising space for the '' Western Mail'' newspaper in Cardiff. He worked as a teaboy at William Collins publishers in London and then entered National Service. He took up a job at the David Morgan department store in Cardiff until 1955, before working as newsreader for the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BBC Light Programme
The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the long wave frequency which had earlier been used – prior to the outbreak of the Second World War on 1 September 1939 – by the BBC National Programme. The service was intended as a domestic replacement for the wartime BBC General Forces Programme which had gained many civilian listeners in Britain as well as members of the British Armed Forces. History The long wave signal on 200 kHz / 1500 metres was transmitted from Droitwich in the English Midlands (as it still is today for BBC Radio 4, although adjusted slightly to 198 kHz / 1515 metres from 1 February 1988) and gave fairly good coverage of most of the United Kingdom, although a number of low-power medium wave transmitters (using 1215 kHz / 247 metres) were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
