![]() ![]() ![]() The dance bands also starred in their own films. Not only did he write brilliant arrangements for his band and accompanied top HMV artistes like Jack Buchanan and Gracie Fields, but he wrote many great songs including Goodnight Sweetheart, Love Is The Sweetest Thing, The Very Thought Of You and The Touch Of Your Lips. The best-remembered house-band leader was Ray Noble who led the New Mayfair Dance Orchestra at HMV. And the record companies had their own “house bands”. The bands did not only have regular evening engagements and regular broadcasts but also made records on a multitude of record labels including HMV and Decca. The BBC also had late night dance music programmes from London on Monday through Saturday (the BBC’s Lord Reith did not believe in having popular entertainment on Sundays.) Ambrose had the top spot on Saturday night. From 1932 to 1939 Henry Hall was leader of the BBC Dance Orchestra after which he toured and continued on the BBC with his Guest Night programmes.īut it was not only Jack Payne and Henry Hall who broadcast – many other bands did as well, not just from London but also from the provinces including Bertini from Blackpool, Billy Merrin from Nottingham and Reg Williams from Weston-Super-Mare. The first person to have this engagement was Jack Payne from 1928 to 1932 he had previously been at the Hotel Cecil in the Strand and left the BBC to take a show band on tour. There are really too many “Premier League” bands of the era to cover in any detail, but mention must be made of Jack Jackson at the Dorchester Hotel, Sid Lipton just down Park Lane at the Grosvenor House, Brian Lawrance at the Lansdowne House in Berkeley Square, Harry Roy at the Café Anglais, pianist Charlie Kunz at the Casani Club in Regent Street, Joe Loss at the Astoria Ballroom in Charing Cross Road and Lew Stone and Mantovani at the Monseigneur Restaurant in Piccadilly.Īlthough most nationally-known bandleaders had an evening residency at a London location, perhaps the most prestigious engagement was as leader of the BBC’s own dance orchestra. ![]() Geraldo and Fred Elizalde also had bands at the Savoy. His band opened at the sumptuous Monseigneur Restaurant in Piccadilly and subsequently appeared at the Café Anglais in Leicester Square and the Kit Cat Club in Haymarket.Īnother American who came to the UK in the 1920s was Carroll Gibbons who became closely associated with the Savoy Hotel, leading the Savoy Orpheans there for many years eventually becoming the hotel’s director of entertainment. One of the most sophisticated bands was that led by Roy Fox, a suave and quietly-spoken American who came over in 1930s, loved London so much that he decided to stay. Thus his band was the highest paid in the land and was loved by Royalty and the society set. Ambrose employed the best musicians and singers he knew exactly how he wanted his band to sound and employed the best arrangers to achieve that. 1 band of the 1930s was Ambrose and his Orchestra who played at the May Fair Hotel in Berkeley Street and subsequently at the Embassy Club in New Bond Street. The nationally known bands, or what I refer to as the “Premier League of Dance Bands” were those who had residences at swanky London hotels, restaurants and night clubs. The dance bands reached their heyday in the 1930s. And that instrument featured more and more strongly as time passed until, when popular music had evolved into rock ‘n’ roll, the guitar was the mainstay of every band. One of the significant changes during the 1920s was the removal of the banjo to be replaced by the guitar in the rhythm section. Among the earliest bands were those at London’s Savoy Hotel, the Savoy Orpheans, and the band led by one of the earliest maestros of dance music, Jack Hylton. This article takes a look at the British contribution to dance band music. But in the pre-rock ‘n’ roll era, it was known as “dance music”. In other words “dance bands” and this was the start of pop music. Being able to dance was a fine way to find the partner of your choice! With the increasing demand for places to house such activities there grew a demand for groups of musicians to fill the air with music to dance to. New dances like the foxtrot became very popular as well as more athletic ones like the Charleston. Men and women were attracted to the new exciting sounds and enjoyed themselves again. By the 1920s it had developed into a hotter type of music full of syncopated rhythm. Ragtime, a form of jazz raised its head some years prior to the start of hostilities in 1914. Firstly, we need to travel back to the early 20th century. ![]()
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