Thomas Percival Montague Mackey (1 June 1894 – 23 November 1950) was a British pianist, composer and bandleader. He is particularly known for his work as a composer and musical director for films during the 1930s and 1940s.

Life and career

Mackey was born on 1 June 1894 in London, England, one of seven children of music publisher Thomas Mackey. He learned to play piano at a young age, and when he was 14 he toured as a pianist with a one-man travelling show, which consisted of ventriloquism, magic and comedy. As part of this show, Mackey improvised a musical soundtrack to a silent film. At the age of 18, he joined the Royal Irish Animated Picture Company in Tipperary, Ireland, a travelling film show managed by Arthur Jameson. Mackey played as part of a musical trio alongside a 72-year-old trumpeter and a fiddler who was often drunk. After the First World War, during which he served with the Durham Light Infantry, Mackey moved to

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

and after a while started playing with Jack Hylton's orchestra. In the early 1920s, he formed an ensemble of his own, known as the Broadway Five. In this band Mackey played the piano, accompanied by Dick Langham ( tenor sax), Bert Heath (trumpet), Bill Blanche (

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) and Ralph Hussey (drums). He later became one of Britain's foremost dance band leaders, working with many other musicians, including Al Bowlly (1929),

Art Christmas Art Christmas (December 22, 1905September 24, 1961) was a Canadian dance band and jazz musician. For many years during the exciting dance band and jazz era of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, Art Christmas was often said to be Britain's leading saxoph ...

(1931–33), Jack Jackson (1930–31) and

Ivor Mairants Ivor Mairants (18 July 1908 – 20 February 1998) was a Polish jazz and classical guitarist, teacher and composer. With his wife Lily in 1958 he created the Ivor Mairants Musicentre, a specialist guitar store in London. Biography Ivor Mairan ...

(1929). During the 1920s, Mackey was also the musical director for several West End musicals, including '' No, No, Nanette'' at the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

in 1925, and '' Follow Thru'' at the Dominion in 1929. In 1929, he appeared in a short film directed by

Bertram Phillips Bertram Phillips was a British film director of the silent era. In 1927–29, he directed several short films in the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process, including ''Arthur Roberts (comedian), Arthur Roberts Sings "Topsey-Turvey"'' (April 192 ...

, ''The Percival Mackey Trio'', made in the Phonofilm sound-on-film process. From the beginning of the 1930s, he began to be involved in film work, as both a film score composer and a musical director. Film scores composed by Mackey include '' Talk of the Devil'' (1936), '' Service for Ladies'' (1932) and ''

Charing Cross Road Charing Cross Road is a street in central London running immediately north of St Martin-in-the-Fields to St Giles Circus (the intersection with Oxford Street) and then becomes Tottenham Court Road. It leads from the north in the direction of ...

'' (1935).. Accessed 23 April 2012. Towards the end of 1934, Mackey was appointed the Director of Dance Music at EMI, the parent company of the " His Master's Voice" (HMV) label, for which Mackey directed several bands including the

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. Mackey was married to actress, singer and dancer Monti Ryan. He died in Edgware, Middlesex, on 23 November 1950.

Selected filmography

* '' A Man of Mayfair'' (1931) * '' This Is the Life'' (1933) * '' Girls, Please!'' (1934) * '' Honeymoon for Three'' (1935) * ''

Cheer Up Cheering involves the uttering or making of sounds and may be used to encourage, excite to action, indicate approval or welcome. The word cheer originally meant face, countenance, or expression, and came through Old French into Middle English ...

'' (1936) * ''

Accused Accused or The Accused may refer to: * A person suspected with committing a crime or offence; see Criminal charge ** Suspect, a known person suspected of committing a crime * The Accüsed, a 1980s Seattle crossover thrash band *''The Accused'', a ...

'' (1936) * '' Skylarks'' (1936) * ''

Chick Chick or chicks may refer to: *Chick (young bird), a bird that has not yet reached adulthood People * Chick (nickname), a list of people * Chick (surname), various people * Chick McGee, stage name of radio personality Charles Dean Hayes (born 19 ...

'' (1936) * '' Crime Over London'' (1936) * '' Jump for Glory'' (1937) * ''

The Minstrel Boy "The Minstrel Boy" is an Irish song written by Thomas Moore (1779–1852) and published as part of his ''Irish Melodies''. Moore himself came to be nicknamed "The Minstrel Boy", and indeed it is the title of Leonard Strong's 1937 biography of ...

'' (1937) * '' Lily of Laguna'' (1938) * '' A Spot of Bother'' (1938) * '' Lightning Conductor'' (1938) * '' Pack Up Your Troubles'' (1940) * '' You Will Remember'' (1941) * '' Hard Steel'' (1942) * ''

Front Line Kids ''Front Line Kids'' is a 1942 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Leslie Fuller.Chibnall & McFarlane p.8 It was made at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. The film's sets were designed by the art director Andrew Mazze ...

'' (1942) * '' Gert and Daisy's Weekend'' (1942) * '' Gert and Daisy Clean Up'' (1942) * '' The Missing Million'' (1942) * '' Variety Jubilee'' (1943) * '' I'll Walk Beside You'' (1943) * '' Headline'' (1944) * '' Loyal Heart'' (1946) * ''

Take Me to Paris ''Take Me to Paris'' is a 1951 British comedy film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Albert Modley, Roberta Huby and Bruce Seton. It was made at Walton Studios. Plot Mr. Armstrong's racing stable is preparing to send one of its top horses to ...

'' (1951)

References

External links

* *
Recordings of Percival Mackey & His Band
at The Internet Archive
Video of Percival Mackey & His Boys
at British Pathe {{DEFAULTSORT:Mackey, Percival 1894 births 1950 deaths British film score composers Dance band bandleaders British male film score composers Musical theatre directors Musicians from London British Army personnel of World War I Musicians from Brighton and Hove 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century British composers 20th-century pianists 20th-century British musicians British male pianists 20th-century British male musicians Durham Light Infantry soldiers