Johnnie Spence
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Johnnie Spence, born John Spence Abrahams (4 February 1936 – 15 August 1977),Johnnie Spence
, ''www.discogs.com''. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
sometimes spelt Johnny Spence, was a British
musical arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestratio ...
,
director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
, and orchestra leader. He is credited with the arrangements and musical direction of numerous records and television light entertainment works throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and was nominated for an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction of a Variety, Musical or Dramatic Program for his work on the 1969 television series ''
This Is Tom Jones ''This Is Tom Jones'' is an ATV variety series starring Tom Jones. The series was exported to the United States by ITC Entertainment and was networked there by ABC. The series ran between 1969 and 1971 to total 65 colour episodes. Jones was ...
''.


Biography

Spence built a reputation as a pianist and arranger in the second part of the 1950s under the wings of Jack Parnell at
ATV ATV may refer to: Broadcasting * Amateur television *Analog television Television broadcaster * Andorra Televisió * Anguilla Television * Ayna TV, Afghanistan * ATV (Armenia) * ATV (Aruba), NBC affiliate * ATV (Australian TV station), Melbourn ...
. (Bandleader and Musician
Jack Parnell John Russell Parnell (6 August 1923  – 8 August 2010) was an English musician and musical director. Biography Parnell was born into a theatrical family in London, England. His uncle was the theatrical impresario Val Parnell. During h ...
was appointed musical director for ATV in 1956). At ATV, music was prepared many shows. The orchestrations department at Elstree was large and famous, boasting such arrangers and orchestrators as Eric Rogers, David Lindup,
Arthur Greenslade Arthur Greenslade (4 May 1923  – 27 November 2003) was a British conductor and arranger for films and television, as well as for a number of performers. He was most musically active in the 1960s and 1970s. Early career Greenslade was born ...
, Max Harris, Kenny Powell, Derek Scott and Johnnie Spence. Parnell held the post until 1982. In the late 1950s, Spence became piano accompanist to Anne Shelton, a popular English vocalist. His early work was predominantly in comedy records for
Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...
, occasionally working alongside Sir
George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...
, who would later find fame as producer of
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
. Spence's credits at this time included such work as the
Bernard Cribbins Bernard Joseph Cribbins (29 December 1928 – 27 July 2022) was an English actor and singer whose career spanned over eight decades. During the 1960s, Cribbins became known in the UK for his successful novelty records " The Hole in the Ground" ...
single "
Right Said Fred Right Said Fred are an English pop band formed by brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass in 1989. They are best known for the hit 1991 song " I'm Too Sexy". History 1989–1991: Formation Prior to forming Right Said Fred, the Fairbra ...
". In 1960, George Martin decided to use Johnnie Spence, who had just been signed to Parlophone as a musical director, for the upcoming session with his new recording-act Terry Parsons, aka
Matt Monro Matt Monro (born Terence Edward Parsons; 1 December 1930 – 7 February 1985) was an English singer. Known as "The Man with the Golden Voice", he performed internationally during his 30-year career and sold a reported 23 million records. AllMus ...
. George Martin threw everything at this session, including a 23-piece orchestra for a big sound. Two tape machines were running at the same time: one in stereo and one in mono, doubling the cost of tape. From 2 November recording session emerged a song that reached no. 3 in the UK Singles Chart: " Portrait of My Love", the song that won Monro the
Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...
for "The Most Outstanding Song Of 1960" from the Songwriters' Guild of Great Britain. Spence became Matt's arranger and musical director, his name as closely associated with Matt Monro as
Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many vocalists at Capitol Records, including ...
's was with
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
. Johnnie Spence went on to become one of the most respected arrangers, conductors and composers in the business. With the success of Parlophone as a pop label, he became orchestral arranger for recordings and television shows for such acts as
Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the James Bond music, theme songs to three James Bond films - the only artist to officially perform more than o ...
,
Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...
, Engelbert Humperdinck and
Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her singles "A ...
,
Petula Clark Sally "Petula" Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child actor, child performer and has had the longest career of any British entertainer, spanning more than 85 y ...
andduring the 1970s
Gilbert O'Sullivan Raymond Edward "Gilbert" O'Sullivan (born 1 December 1946) is an Irish singer-songwriter who achieved his most significant success during the early 1970s, with hits including " Alone Again (Naturally)", " Clair" and "Get Down". His songs are of ...
. From his early twenties, Spence rapidly built a reputation as one of the country's most brilliant and imaginative musical directors, and was very much in demand by then on both sides of the Atlantic. He ultimately chose to become musical director for Tom Jones in 1969, working for the MAM organization (Management Agency and Music Ltd.), founded by
Gordon Mills Gordon William Mills (15 May 1935 – 29 July 1986) was a successful London-based music industry manager and songwriter. He was born in Madras, British India and grew up in Trealaw in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales. During the 1960s and 1970s, ...
, one of the most successful show business agencies. In his new capacity, Spence became responsible for creating the sound on all their major hit recordings. Through producer Gordon Mills he became arranger/conductor for Gilbert O'Sullivan (1970/72) and musical director for a BBC-TV show ''Gilbert O'Sullivan In Concert'' (1971) and ''The Music Of Gilbert O'Sullivan'' (1972). Although becoming a frequent visitor to America, he had plenty of work in the UK as a music arranger/musical director for television and radio shows, as well as live-performances, such as John Barry's '' Elizabeth Taylor in London'' (1963), ''The Tommy Steele Show'' (1964/65),
Matt Monro Matt Monro (born Terence Edward Parsons; 1 December 1930 – 7 February 1985) was an English singer. Known as "The Man with the Golden Voice", he performed internationally during his 30-year career and sold a reported 23 million records. AllMus ...
at ''The Talk Of The Town'' (1965), ''BBC Show of the Week'' and ''Ella Fitzgerald Sings'' (1965), and several TV shows: ''Cilla At The Savoy'' (1966), ''The Shirley Bassey Show'' (1968/69), ''The Royal Variety Performance'' (1969), a Tom Jones UK-Tour with a 35-piece orchestra led by Johnnie Spence (1970), and various TV specials with Tom Jones, including ''This Is Tom Jones'', and ''The Sound Of Petula'' (1974) with
Petula Clark Sally "Petula" Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child actor, child performer and has had the longest career of any British entertainer, spanning more than 85 y ...
, featuring Gilbert O'Sullivan and the Peter Knight Orchestra & Chorus, with arrangements by Peter Knight, Steve Gray and Johnnie Spence. Johnnie Spence and his Orchestra released several of their own records, predominantly of television and film themes; "
Wheels A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axl ...
" and "First Romance", a
Jerry Lordan Jeremiah Patrick Lordan (30 April 1934 – 24 July 1995) was an English songwriter, composer and singer. He had three hit singles on the UK Singles Chart before focusing purely on songwriting. Amongst his songwriting credits were the cha ...
composition from his album: ''All My Own Work'' (1961). " The Dr. Kildare Theme" became a number 15 hit for Parlophone in 1962, his own composition "Sugar Beat", B-side of the single "
Baby Elephant Walk "Baby Elephant Walk" is a song composed in 1961 by Henry Mancini for the 1962 film '' Hatari!'' Lyrics by Hal David were not used in the film version. The instrumental earned Mancini a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement in . Backgr ...
" by
Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, ...
(1962) and "
Step Inside Love "Step Inside Love" is a song written by Paul McCartney (credited as "Lennon–McCartney") for Cilla Black in 1967 as a theme for her TV series ''Cilla (1968 TV series), Cilla'', which first aired on 30 January 1968. Background In late 1967 P ...
" (1967), a
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
composition for Cilla Black. (1967). Spence also arranged Bob Hope singing
Monty Norman Monty Norman ( Noserovitch; 4 April 1928 – 11 July 2022) was a British film score composer and singer. A contributor to West End theatre, West End musicals in the 1950s and 1960s, he is best known for composing the "James Bond Theme", first ...
's "Call Me Bwana" from the 1963 film of the same name. It is the only non-Bond film made by
Eon Productions Eon Productions Limited is a British film production company that primarily produces the ''James Bond'' film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the UK. ''James Bond'' films Eon wa ...
and producer Cubby Broccoli. He recorded as The Johnnie Spence Big Band, ''Why Not'' (1968), on the
Verve Records Verve Records is an active American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Ca ...
label, a swinging jazz album featuring
Don Lusher Gordon Douglas "Don" Lusher OBE (6 November 1923 – 5 July 2006) was an English jazz and big band trombonist best known for his association with the Ted Heath Big Band. In a career spanning more than 60 years, he played trombone with a numbe ...
(tb), Johnny Scott,
Eddie Blair James Edward Blair (August 5, 1871 – March 8, 1913) was an American football player and coach and physician. He was early professional football player with the Latrobe Athletic Association. He later relocated to Burlington, New Jersey where he ...
(tp) and Kenny Clare on drums. During 1963, Spence recorded an album with jazz singer
Annie Ross Annie Ross (born Annabelle Allan Short; 25 July 193021 July 2020) was a British-American singer and actress, best known as a member of the influential jazz vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. She helped pioneer the vocalese style of jazz sin ...
, ''Sings A Handful Of Songs''. In April 1964,
Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...
recorded three songs, to which Johnnie Spence wrote the arrangements, at EMI Recording Studios, Abbey Road, London, for her new album ''Hello Dolly''. The single "
Can't Buy Me Love "Can't Buy Me Love" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released in March 1964 as the A-side and B-side, A-side of their sixth single. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The s ...
" was a minor UK hit at no. 34. On 2 July 1964, Cilla Black recorded the Lennon/McCartney song "
It's for You English auxiliary verbs are a small set of English verbs, which include the English modal auxiliary verbs and a few others. Although the auxiliary verbs of English are widely believed to lack inherent semantic meaning and instead to modify the ...
", with a sort of jazzy waltz arrangement by Spence. "It displayed a degree of sophistication" according to producer
George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...
, who also directed. Spence also recorded in his final years with a smaller group as Johnnie Spence and The Family Tree, with a disco single "The Caves" (1976), as well as composing the music for the CBS TV series '' The Amazing Spiderman'' (1977). Among his other compositions are "This Time" (1961) (using the pseudonym "Jack Abrahams", co-written with "Graham Fisher" aka George Martin), and "Going Places", with Don Black (1964), both recorded by Matt Monro. For the soundtrack of the film ''
The Limbo Line ''The Limbo Line'' is a 1968 British spy thriller film directed by Samuel Gallu and starring Craig Stevens, Kate O'Mara and Eugene Deckers. It is based on the 1963 novel of the same title by Victor Canning. It was made as part of a 1960s boom ...
'', Spence wrote the music to "Here I Go Again", again with a Don Black lyric.


Personal life

Johnnie Spence married Marion Horton (b. 1937) at St. Mary's Church,
South Kensington South Kensington is a district at the West End of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with the advent of the ra ...
on 5 January 1964, with Matt Monro as his
best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be selected. From his groomsmen, the groom usuall ...
. Their two children were born on 2 April 1965 (Sarah Jane) and 15 February 1973 (Jonathan Adam). Jonathan was known for his close relationship with
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
, whom he got to know while attending the Buckley School with
Tito Jackson Toriano Adaryll "Tito" Jackson (October 15, 1953 – September 15, 2024) was an American musician. He was a founding member of the Jackson 5 (later known as the Jacksons), a group who rose to fame in the late 1960s and 1970s with the Motown la ...
's son, who was also five years old at the time. The family lived in Cheam, Surrey, England, before moving to the United States permanently. From 1969 onwards, the family lived in rented houses in California, close to Los Angeles recording studios. Because of his work as an arranger/conductor/composer, he made the decision in the summer of 1976 to take the leap and move to the US full-time with his family. They eventually moved into a comfortable home in Encino, California. He was able to secure lucrative work arranging and directing music for both television shows and movies. Spence had just signed a contract with the ''Joey Bishop Show'' for ABC network when fate struck; he died suddenly at home in Los Angeles of a heart attack on 15 August 1977, at the age of 41. The funeral took place at
Forest Lawn Memorial Park Forest Lawn may refer to: Cemeteries California * Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, a chain of cemeteries in southern California * Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City), California * Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale), California * Fore ...
, Hollywood Hills on 20 August 1977 with among the pallbearers Tom Jones and Gilbert O'Sullivan. Matt Monro was holidaying in Barbados and could not get a flight to Los Angeles in time for the funeral. "Johnnie Spence was one of the best musicians I've ever known.He was a marvellous arranger, a great band man and his scores for brass, saxes, rhythm and strings were the best I've ever had, much better than I could do. His work with Matt Monro was one of the highlights, one of the joys of my life. He always turned up with a very tasteful score. He was a lovely man, a great character. He did tend to burn the candle at both ends though, and in the middle! It was a great tragedy when he died, it was such a shock, he was so young"- Sir George Martin.Michele Monro, ''The Singer's Singer - the Life and Music of Matt Monro''. , (TitanBooks/2010)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spence, Johnnie 1936 births 1977 deaths British music arrangers British male television composers British television composers