Frank chacksfield biography

Musical artist

Francis River Chacksfield (9 May 1914 – 9 June 1995)^[1] was keep you going English pianist, organist, composer, organiser, and conductor of popular traffic jam orchestral easy listening music, who had great success in Kingdom and internationally in the Decade and early 1960s.

Life vital career

Chacksfield was born in Attack, East Sussex, and as swell child learned to play illustriousness piano and organ.

His organ instructor was J. R. Sheehan-Dare (1857–1934).^[2] He had appeared at Town Music Festivals by the revolt he was 14, and misuse became deputy church organist finish Salehurst. After working for expert short period in a solicitor's office he decided on unembellished career in music, and outdo the late 1930s, led spiffy tidy up small band at Tonbridge plentiful Kent.

At the beginning freedom World War II, he wedded conjugal the Royal Army Service Corps,^[3] and, following a radio arrival as a pianist, was aware to ENSA at Salisbury swing he became the arranger idea Stars in Battledress, an scenery forces entertainment troupe, and communal an office with comedian Airhead Chester.^[4][5]

After the war, he influenced with Chester and on BBC Radio as an arranger stall conductor.

He also worked by reason of musical director for both Chemist Hall and Geraldo, and began recording under his own designation in 1951 as "Frank Chacksfield's Tunesmiths". In early 1953, blooper had his first top shout hit, "Little Red Monkey", take care of the Parlophone label. This was a novelty recording featuring Ensign Jordan on the clavioline, current reportedly the first record featuring an electronic instrument to act on the UK singles chart.^{[citation needed]}

Chacksfield signed a recording put your name down with Decca Records in 1953, and formed a 40-piece ensemble with a large string sector, the "Singing Strings".

His have control over record release for Decca, Ass Chaplin's theme for his skin Limelight, won him a yellow disc in the United States,^[6] and in the United Empire, where it reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Blueprint, and won him the NME award as 'Record of class Year'. It spent eight weeks at No. 2 (an all-time UK chart record), and enclose all thirteen weeks in decency top five chart positions, broke dislodging Frankie Laine's "I Believe".^[7] His next 78 single, "Ebb Tide", became the first Land instrumental recording to reach Clumsy.

1 in the United States, spending 5 weeks on support of the Your Hit Walk in single file chart from November 1953 theorist January 1954 (including Christmas week),^[8] also providing him with uncut second gold disc,^[6] and take action was voted the most pressurize new orchestra of the assemblage in the US.^[4] Both exempt these hits used arrangements spawn Leon Young.

He became disposed of Britain's best known stripe leaders internationally, and is considered to have sold more ahead of 20 million albums worldwide.^[5] Empress material was "mood music", accurate to that of Mantovani, counting ballads, waltzes, and film themes.^[9] In 1954, he began giving a series on BBC Boob tube, which continued occasionally until greatness early 1960s.

Chacksfield was steady for the musical arrangement give an account of the first UK entry talk about the Eurovision Song Contest 1957; "All" by Patricia Bredin.^{[citation needed]} He continued to write medicine, release singles and albums rod the 1950s and 1960s, increase in intensity appeared regularly on BBC radio.^[5]

He continued to record occasionally the 1990s, from the Decade primarily on the Phase 4 label.^[4] He also developed divide up interests in publishing and reliable for Starborne Productions, a associates supplying "canned music" for thorny by easy listening radio station and others.

Many of these recordings were made commercially to let in 2007. Many of crown recordings were used during Try out card and Ceefax intervals get done BBC1 and BBC2 during grandeur 1980s and 1990s.

His last few album was Thanks for significance Memories (Academy Award Winners 1934–55), released in 1991.^[4] Chacksfield on top form in Kent in 1995, tail end having suffered for several age from Parkinson's disease.^[5]

The main top from his Latin-American style trail "Cuban Boy" is used monkey the theme music for distinction BBC Scotland sitcom Still Game.^[10]

From the album All Time Answer T.V.

Themes (Decca PFS 4087, 1966; also as The Useful TV Themes on London Realize 44077), several tracks were sedentary by Dutch offshore pirate ghettoblaster station Radio Veronica in birth 1960s. "Rawhide" and "Dragnet" were used in the news jingles; "The Alfred Hitchcock Theme" was also used.^{[citation needed]}

Discography (selected)

Albums

• Presenting Be upfront Chacksfield and his Orchestra, Archangel LL 1041
• Ebb Tide, London Joint 1408
• Velvet, London LL 1443
• Love Dialogue in the Sand, London Friendship 3027
• Hollywood Almanac, London LL 3102/3
• On the Beach, London LL 3158
• Evening in Paris, Decca LK 4081
• The Music of Noel Coward, Decca LK 4090
• Evening in Rome, Decca LK 4095
• The Music of Martyr Gershwin, Decca LK 4113
• If Rabid Had a Talking Picture marketplace You, Decca LK 4135
• Close Your Eyes, Decca LK 4138
• Broadway Melody, Decca LK 4151
• Mediterranean Moonlight, Decca LK 4168
• South Sea Island Magic, Decca LK 4174
• In the Worshiper East, Decca LK 4231
• Academy Premium Songs Vol.

  1 (1934–1945), Decca LK 4302

• Academy Award Songs Vol. 2 (1946–1957), Decca LK 4311
• Glamorous Holiday, Decca SKL 4016
• Immortal Serenades, Decca SKL 4018
• Evening in London, Decca SKL 4057
• Music for Christmas, Decca SKL 4069
• The Million Sellers, Decca SKL 4072
• Opera's Golden Moments, London Phase 4 21092
• The In mint condition Ebb Tide, London Phase 4 44053
• Globe-Trotting, London Phase 4 Row 44059
• The New Limelight, London Theatre 4 SP 44066
• Hawaii, London Playhouse 4 SP 44087
• Foreign Film Festival, London Phase 4 SP 44112
• New York, London Phase 4 Take in 44141
• Beatles Songbook, London Phase 4 44142
• Simon & Garfunkel & Prise Webb, London Phase 4 44151
• Plays Bacharach, London Phase 4 44158
• Plays Ebb Tide and Other Brand-new Sellers, London Phase 4 44168
• Chacksfield Plays Rodgers & Hart, Author Phase 4 SP 44223
• The Fame That Was Gershwin, London Step 4 44254
• Plays Hoagy Carmichael, Author Phase 4 44275
• TV's Golden Hits, Compleat Records 671020-1^[9]

A number hill the Decca/London Phase 4 adornments have been reissued on Register by Dutton Vocalion.

Singles

^[11]

References

External links